Little Problems
by Revan's Mask
Summary: Shepard has a little problem. Jack gives her a little help. Liara's a little ticked off about that. Cerberus has a little plan. It's enough to make a Spectre wish the Reapers would just hurry up and invade already. A stand-alone story that expands on a chapter from Flesh is Weak. Please read the note inside for more explanation.
1. Chapter 1

**So, in Flesh is Weak, there was a chapter with Jack that ended with a bit of a twist and a number of people wanted some follow-up to it. The more I thought about it, the more I decided it was a pretty good idea but one that would require more than just a single chapter to do justice to. Hence, this story, which will feature both Shepard/Jack, and Shepard/Liara. The first couple of chapters will include some slightly modified bits from Non-Elective Surgery and Flesh is Weak for the set-up alongside the original material, but then it will be all original. Like Flesh is Weak, this story is an AU of the main Experiments setting and will involve futa FemShep, but stands on its own for anyone who hasn't read that story. With all that said, let's get to the story and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>Miranda Lawson was almost back to her office when the attack came. In spite of her training, she was still taken by surprise, a strong hand grabbing the operative and slamming her against the wall of the <em>Normandy<em> before she could react.

"What have you done to me?!", Shepard demanded, her frantic tone revealing the true measure of the powerlessness she felt in that moment despite having her hand at Miranda's throat.

"Why, I think that would be obvious, Commander," the operative replied coolly, seemingly unfazed by her vulnerable position. "We brought you back from the dead. At outrageous expense, might I add."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," she snarled.

"Ah, that," Miranda replied, a smug, knowing smile etched onto her lovely face. "As I just told you, Cerberus has made a considerable investment in you, one that we intend to have repaid with interest. You are, after all, the first human Spectre, a warrior of unparalleled skill and cunning, and those are traits that humanity is likely to have need of in the years to come. Traits that we're interested in you passing on to future generations."

"And you thought this was the best way?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did that mean… Did they actually expect her to… "You're mad!", was the only response that came to mind.

"Well, we can't very well have you getting pregnant in the middle of a mission of this importance, now can we?", Miranda replied condescendingly. "No, this will allow you to pass on your superior genetic material to as many partners as possible while keeping you fit for active duty. We will then collect any children that might result, and make sure they are raised to be of use to humanity."

"You mean of use to Cerberus?" She'd seen the labs where the human supremacist group performed its twisted experiments and she couldn't believe that this Illusive Man would allow anyone else to benefit from his work.

"We are humanity, Commander."

"I won't do it," she protested as her hand slipped away from Miranda's throat, but her voice lacked much conviction. Even in her anger, just standing next the gorgeous Ms. Lawson was having an effect on her. The woman's perfect curves, her full breasts, her taut stomach: all of them were teasing the Spectre through the clinging, white cat suit Miranda wore. Shepard could already feel the stirrings of unwanted desire in her groin, and she had a horrible feeling that this was only the beginning. Cerberus was going to do everything in their power to break her self-control, something that had never been her strongest trait to begin with.

As Shepard walked away, her shoulders slumped, Miranda's smirk deepened. The former Spectre might be protesting now, but Ms. Lawson had no doubt that she would surrender in the end to the pleasures Cerberus had to offer. As the head of the Lazarus Project, she had spent considerable time studying the woman's psychological make-up, and while the commander might have been a model of virtue in field, when it came to the bedroom, her appetites were prodigious. Even if she didn't succumb to the operative's own charms, one of the numerous other options Cerberus had prepared would surely appeal to her.

From what Miranda had been able to find out, the only person Shepard had ever been faithful to as an adult was the asari scientist who had helped Cerberus retrieve her body from the Shadow Broker. She was a potential complication to be sure, but also one that Miranda was confident could be dealt with. Liara T'Soni was safely distant on Ilium, and even if Shepard made contact, the asari's new-found obsession with the Broker should keep her out of Cerberus' way. No, one way or another, Shepard and her future offspring would be theirs.

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><p>Two Weeks Later:<p>

"Oh great. Another one," Shepard mumbled under her breath. Every time the Spectre thought she'd seen the last of Cerberus' temptations, another attractive woman would be dangled under her nose. If it wasn't the stunning Miss Lawson in her form-fitting white suit making the commander's life harder, it was the perky Kelly Chambers and her double entendres or the mysterious Kasumi Goto tantalizing Shepard with glimpses of her lithe body.

And now she could add Jack to that list. The biotic convict they'd just rescued from the _Purgatory_ was dressed in a top so small that it was barely even a bra, let alone a shirt, a fact she hardly seemed conscious of. And while she might not have been a conventional bombshell like Miranda, there was a raw sexuality in the devil-may-care way the woman carried herself that had stood out even in the few minutes they'd spent together.

"What the fuck are you waiting for?,"" Jack snapped, pulling Shepard out of her own head. "Let's get off of this floating hellhole before it explodes on us."

"Fine. This way." The Spectre shook her head and started moving towards their shuttle, but even as she followed along, Miranda allowed herself a small smile at Shepard's distraction. Thus far, the project to seduce her hadn't gone nearly as well as the operative had hoped for. Her initial projection had been that the commander would be fucking half the female crew within a week, but she was still holding out, her venom towards Cerberus seeming to overcome her formidable libido.

Jack, though, offered an intriguing alternate possibility. Miranda had read Subject Zero's file, and if there was anyone in the galaxy who hated Cerberus more than her, the operative had yet to come across them. At first, she'd wondered why the Illusive Man would want somebody like that on this mission, no matter how strong a biotic she was.

Now though, it made sense. Shepard might not be willing to sleep with a member of Cerberus or a mercenary they'd hired like Kasumi, but the convict could well prove to be a different story. Their shared disdain for the organization they were now working for was something that Jack and the commander could bond over, and unless the operative was very much mistaken, there had been a definite spark of attraction in the way Shepard had looked at their new crew member.

Of course if that was who Shepard ended up falling into bed with, it would complicate matters somewhat. The same hatred for Cerberus that could draw her and Jack together would also make controlling them more difficult. That was all right though. It just meant she had to prepare the proper contingencies, and if there was anything that Miranda Lawson excelled at, it was preparation.

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><p>Two Weeks After That:<p>

"Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls."

As the Spectre walked into her office, Liara could scarcely keep her heart from bursting out of her chest. For two long years, she'd held onto the faintest glimmers of hope imaginable, believing beyond reason that somehow, Shepard would come back to her. The rational, scientific part of her brain had known it was crazy, but what else could she do?

Though they had only known each other a short time, Shepard had come to mean the world to the young asari. Her strength, courage, and kindness were a blend unlike any Liara had ever encountered, and the fact that a woman like that had given her love to a shy scientist had, for a little while, made Liara happier than she had the words to express. Shepard had awakened desires the asari had spent decades ignoring, and then, just when it seemed they would have some time to more fully explore those feelings, she'd been taken away.

And now she was back. The woman standing in front of Liara looked nothing like the burnt body she had handed over to Cerberus. Her red hair, freckled cheeks, and bright green eyes were just as the asari remembered them and the sight of her was melting away all of the questions that had kept Liara awake many a long night.

Even as the holographic form of her last client her was fading away behind her, Liara rushed to the commander, throwing herself into the human woman's embrace. Strong arms encircled her and the information broke guided their lips together with her hands, trying desperately to drink in every drop of this moment that she could.

As the kiss started, Shepard forgot for an instant about everything else. Ever since they'd set course for Ilium, she'd been frightened of this reunion. For the last month, she'd been desperately fighting against her own desires, and now she was face to face with the woman she wanted most in the galaxy. She'd been scared of losing control of her own reactions, but with Liara 's lips against hers, none of that seemed to matter.

And then it intruded. As Liara's tongue slid into her mouth, Shepard felt the thing Cerberus had put between her legs stir, her sudden erection pressing painfully against her armor. She knew she should have tried to satisfy herself before coming to see Liara, but that was something she still hadn't been able to do. Her disgust at her changed body had outweighed her need, but now, as she tried to choke back her desire, she was regretting her weakness.

Mercifully, the metal of her armor prevented Liara from knowing what was going on below the belt so to speak, but it was a reminder to Shepard that she had to stop this before it went too far. The Liara she had loved had been an innocent. Before she met Shepard, she'd never even kissed anyone else, let alone made love with them. How could someone like that want the freak that the commander had been turned into?

Liara's bliss was short-lived. As suddenly as it had begun, the kiss ended, Shepard pulling away from the information broker, an uncharacteristically skittish look covering her pretty face. "I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I can't…"

The asari was stunned. Not sure how to respond, she took several steps backwards in the direction of her desk, looking to the two other people that her brain now recognized had followed Shepard in for some clue as to what had just happened. They were no help. The gigantic krogan seemed entirely uninterested in the proceedings, chewing on some prepackaged meaty snack, while the salarian's eyes were darting around the room as he mumbled to himself about some unrelated matter.

Her attention was pulled back to Shepard as the human repeated, "I really am sorry Liara, but I just can't do this."

"Why not?", the asari stammered, scarcely able to believe this was happening. She collapsed down into her desk chair, afraid her suddenly wobbly knees wouldn't support her. "What's wrong, Shepard?", she asked frantically. "What's happened?"

The commander could see the pain in Liara's beautiful, blue eyes, and the knowledge that she was its cause was something she wasn't sure she'd ever forgive herself for. She still couldn't be with Liara though, not the way she was, and so all she could do was try to minimize the damage. "It's nothing you did, Liara," she insisted, "It's my problem. Things just aren't the same with me anymore. I was dead, and now, I have this mission against the Collectors… Look, there's a pretty good chance none of us are coming back from that. It's not exactly a good time for romance."

"Of… of course, Shepard." As hard as it was, Liara tried to force herself to face reality, to accept that what she had dreaded had really come to pass. Her lover might have returned but time and tragedy were too much for them to overcome, at least for now. Shepard belonged to the galaxy, not to her, and in spite of her pain, Liara would still do her best to help her save it. "What is it that brings you here, then?", she asked, trying to change the subject before her sorrow overwhelmed her.

"Recruiting allies," she told the asari, relieved that Liara was willing to accept the justification she'd offered. "I'm looking for an assassin named Thane Krios and an asari Justicar named Samara and I heard you were working as an information broker now. Maybe you have something on them."

"As it happens, I do," Liara told the commander, but even while she started running through her leads for Shepard, something was still nagging at her. This was hardly the first time the commander had faced death. They had spent their first night together just before the mission to Ilos. Could this be more dangerous than that? Just what was really going on here anyway?


	2. Chapter 2

Jack hated asking for favors. Either the other person shot you down and made you feel like a chump for even asking or they helped and then you owed them. Either way, it sucked. She'd rather make a trade. It was cleaner that way, with both people putting something on the table. Simpler. The problem was that right now, she had nothing to offer Shepard.

She hadn't exactly come out of deep freeze on that fucking prison ship with a whole lot of money, and she'd already agreed to help Shepard fight the Collectors in exchange for the Cerberus files currently spread all over her hidey-hole. That just left sex, and while the commander was definitely hot, she also seemed to have a stick lodged pretty far up her girl scout ass. Sure, the biotic had seen her checking out some of the other women in the crew, but she was probably way to much of a straight lace to actually go for anything Jack might offer. Hence the need to ask for a favor, but as she looked at Shepard standing across from her in the sub-deck the biotic called home, Jack kept pacing uncomfortably, not wanting to actually say the words.

"What is it?", the commander asked. "Kelly said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, well, uh, you know how sometimes you help people out with shit?", Jack started out, her usual bravado deserting her in this situation. "Like going with Kasumi to that dumb party?" Shepard nodded, clearly able to see where this was headed. "Well, I could use some help too. Remember how I told you that I grew up in some fucked up Cerberus lab? Those files you gave me helped me find it. It's on this planet called Pragia in the outer rim."

"Is it still operational?"

"Nah," she snorted. "It's been closed ever since I busted out." Jack paused for a second, not sure how to vocalize what she needed before settling on, "But I still want to go back there. To see where it all happened and then blow it straight to hell. Wipe all that shit out once and for all."

"All right," Shepard said without hesitation, "If it's important to you, we'll make the time. It'll probably be a day or so until we're finished with the resupply here on the Citadel but after that, Pragia's next on my list."

Jack hadn't expected it to be so easy, and all she managed to respond with was a quick, "Okay then."

Shepard headed back up the metal stairs to the engineering deck, leaving Jack shaking her head in surprise. There'd been no, "You owe me one," no, "This better not be too much trouble," none of that shit. Just, "All right." Maybe there was something to be said for girl scouts after all.

* * *

><p>"Rocket on your ten, Jack!"<p>

The biotic convict got Shepard's warning just in time, diving to the ground an instant before the trail of smoke passed overhead. The missile crashed harmlessly into the wall at the back of the vast room even as the commander turned her assault rifle on the vorcha who'd fired it. The burst caught the lightly-armored mercenary squarely in the torso, ripping him to bloody shreds even while Shepard was starting to scan the room for other threats.

On the right side of the decaying facility's largest chamber, Grunt was already crashing through what was left of the mercenaries arrayed against them. The massive krogan smashed the butt of his shotgun into a smaller member of his species, knocking him back far enough to get a clean shot, the blast blowing half of his head off.

The other krogan fell down dead, but another pair of vorcha were opening fire on Grunt, raking her teammate with their submachine guns, and Shepard moved to cover him. A concussive shot knocked both of the feral aliens from their feet and while they were down, she prepared to finish the job. The first one swiftly fell to her well-aimed rifle shots, but before she could get to his partner, things went bad.

She'd thought Jack had the battlemaster. The krogan biotic leading the team of mercenaries at the Pragia facility was in the convict's line of fire, and Shepard figured Jack would keep him busy long enough for her to mop up the vorcha.

What she'd missed in the chaos was that when Jack had dove to avoid the rocket, she'd lost her Carnifex, and while the scrambled to retrieve the pistol, the krogan was free to strike. A powerful ball of biotic energy slammed into the commander's torso, shattering shields already weakened by attacks from the other mercenaries and hurling her from her feet. Searing pain flared up and down her torso and when she crashed into the floor, her helmeted head cracking against the hard stone, everything went dark.

* * *

><p>"Fuck! Shepard!"<p>

The commander hit the ground and Jack let out a snarl of rage. Reaching out with a biotic field, she grabbed the last of the vorcha Shepard had been shooting at and yanked him off of his feet. As he dangled helplessly in the air, a couple of shots from her Carnifex left large holes where some of his more important organs were supposed to be and when he fell, she turned back to Grunt.

"You got the leader, big guy?", she asked.

"Hah!" the genetically engineered warrior laughed. "I am krogan!"

He charged towards the battlemaster and while the two krogan squared off, Jack scampered towards her commander. On closer inspection, Shepard's wounds weren't as bad as she'd initially feared, but while not life-threatening, they were still nasty. The armored plates around the Spectre's torso had been twisted by the biotic blast and beneath them, the convict could see raw, red burns on her pale skin.

Fumbling about, Jack managed to find the releases on Shepard's armor, enabling her to wrench aside the chest-plate and lower the torso piece out of her way. Beneath them, the commander's uniform had also been shredded and Jack pulled what was left of her shirt up and pants down, leaving the area covered only by a pair of compression shorts. Too preoccupied to worry for long about what else she saw there, Jack reached into her cargo pants and pulled out a tube of medi-gel, applying a generous amount of the healing substance to the burns on Shepard's body before removing her helmet and doing the same with the newly-raised lump on her head.

As the soothing substance made its way into her bloodstream, the commander started coming around, groaning unhappily as her green eyes blinked open. "Goddamn it," she muttered, "Bastard blindsided me. Are we doing all right?"

Looking across the room, Jack saw Grunt standing on top of the krogan leader, battering his enemy into a bloody pulp with a series of powerful blows from his armored fists. "Yeah, Shep," Jack laughed, "I think we're doing fine."

The commander suddenly noticed her state of relative undress and as quickly as she could, she yanked up her pants and pulled down the remnants of her shirt. It was far too late though. Though she'd been distracted by her first aid work, even someone far less sexually experienced than the convict couldn't have missed that beneath Shepard's shorts, there'd been the unmistakable outline of a cock.

* * *

><p>Sitting alone on the edge of her bed, Shepard groaned unhappily, running her hand through her red hair as her mind replayed the events of the last day. She'd showered and changed into a fresh uniform after she'd gotten back from Pragia, but the commander still felt unclean. Every time she thought that the nightmare Cerberus had plunged her into couldn't get any worse, some new, horrible development would emerge to prove her wrong.<p>

The month and a half since her awakening on the Lazarus Station had been an near-continuous ordeal of sexual frustration. Unable to bear touching herself and unwilling to give in to Cerberus' temptations and be with anyone else, the commander felt as if she was constantly ready to pop. Only the fatigue of battle let her sleep at this point and only the occasional nocturnal emission offered her any hope of relief from the torment her cock was inflicting on the miserable Spectre.

It had already cost her Liara. The commander hadn't seen her ex-girlfriend since that wrenching day on Ilium, and at this rate, she didn't know if she ever would. Liara had given her leads on Samara and Thane and in return, she'd helped the asari hack a few computer terminals, but that had been their last contact. She'd heard the pain in Liara's voice when they parted and she couldn't bear inflict that on her again, leaving her no choice but to stay far away from the woman she still loved.

Now, once more, things threatened to get worse. There was no way after treating her wounds that Jack didn't know what Cerberus had put between her legs and the convict wasn't exactly known for her discretion on sensitive subjects. True, she wasn't the gossip that Tali or Kelly was, but she had managed to make friends with a few of the other crew members, notably Zaeed and Grunt, and if she told one of them, pretty soon the entire rest of the crew would know the commander's secret. How could Shepard look them in the face if that happened? Who wanted to follow some breeding experiment into battle?

No, she had to nip this thing in the bud and there was no way to do that except to go and talk to Jack. The convict might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but at least after destroying the Pragia facility, she might be in a more generous mood than normal.

The commander glanced over at the clock. 23:32. She might as well do it now. It was the middle of the night shift, and most of the crew would be off-duty, which reduced their chances of being overheard. With a resigned sigh, Shepard pushed herself off the bed and to her feet. If should could face the Collectors, than she supposed she could face this conversation, no matter how humiliating it promised to be. Time to bite the bullet.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a version of the Flesh is Weak story that started all of this, but somewhat reworked since now it's part of a longer story, so even if you read that, you will find some new bits here.**

* * *

><p>Shepard's anxiety about the conversation only increased when she arrived at the bolt-hole beneath the engineering deck where Jack spent most of her free time. The powerful biotic was waiting for her, lounging indolently against the side of her bunk, wearing her usual baggy pants, almost non-existing shirt, and fuck-you expression.<p>

"Figured you'd be heading down here," the convict smirked.

"Listen, Jack," Shepard started out, not totally sure how to ease into the subject, "About what happened this afternoon…"

That shit-eating grin didn't leave Jack's face. "You've got a dick. Gotta admit, I didn't see that one coming."

Shepard blushed at the convict's words, embarrassed in spite of her best efforts to prepare herself to talk about this subject. "Yes," she conceded softly, "I do. But I'd really rather the whole ship didn't know about it, so if you could just keep what you found out to yourself, that'd be great."

"Why?", Jack sneered. "Are you ashamed to admit that the head of the girl scouts is really just a freak like the rest of us? So you were born with a cock? So fucking what?"

"Because I wasn't born with it!", Shepard snapped a bit too loudly before lowering her voice once again. "Cerberus stuck it on me when they brought me back to life."

"Seriously?" Jack laughed incredulously. "Damn, that's fucked up. I mean, I knew the Illusive Man was into freaky shit like making kids fight to the death, but that's just… I mean, what the fuck is that even about?"

In spite of her vulgarity though, Jack's tone wasn't cruel. There was real sympathy in her voice, something that Shepard had seldom heard there before, and it eased her sense of humiliation. The Spectre had been carrying this secret for months now, with no one knowing what was wrong with her except for the assholes responsible, and maybe it would be good for her to talk about it. It was fitting in a way, she supposed. On Pragia, she'd seen just what Cerberus had done to Jack and maybe that meant the convict was the one person who'd understand this now.

"They want to breed me," she explained in a low voice, the words hard for her to say. "They decided I'm an asset to humanity and they want me to go out and pass along my DNA so they can take the kids and use them for god knows what."

"Shit." Jack shook her head, the empathy Shepard had sensed before more definite now. "I guess you're like me then. Another chick those sick fuckers screwed over."

"And the worst of it," the commander confessed, "Is that it's working. I'm on edge all the time. I feel like sooner or later, I'm going to snap and end up fucking Kelly or Miranda or someone else and give them what they want."

"Screw that," Jack snarled. Cerberus did not get to win. Not as long as she had anything to say about it. "You need to get off, I could give you a hand."

Shepard started at the convict in disbelief, unable to do much more than stammer, "You… I couldn't ask that… I mean, I'm a freak…"

"And I'm not?" Jack shrugged. "Look, it's just sex, and I've had a lot of it, for a lot of dumber reasons than this. Anyway, you're pretty hot and I could stand to get laid, especially if it pisses off that stupid cheerleader and her asshole boss."

"But their plans…"

"Don't worry; I don't want to deal with a kid, especially one Cerberus is trying to steal. I'm on the pill. So what do you say? You wanna do this shit or not?"

It wasn't exactly the most romantic proposition Shepard had ever heard, and in spite of her need, the commander found herself torn. She certainly craved the release. Frustration and stress could get her killed, and something in the convict's eyes, those big, pretty brown eyes, made the commander feel as if she could trust Jack's help. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to Jack either; the biotic's raw sexuality definitely had its appeal.

The problem was that she still loved Liara. The asari was the one she wanted to be with, more than anything. Liara, though, was gone and incredibly, Jack seemed to understand what had happened to the commander without being disgusted by it. In Shepard's current state, that meant a lot.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," she replied after a long breath, "But okay."

Jack grinned. Shoving off of the edge of her bunk, she reached out, grasping the clasp of Shepard's uniform pants in her deceptively strong hands. "Okay then," she told the Spectre, "Let's get a look at what you've got down there. Last time, there were still some clothes in my way."

Shepard felt a twinge of nervousness at the prospect, still skittish about being seen in her transformed state, and she brushed the convict's hand back. "Real subtle there, Jack," she chastised her, trying to cover her apprehension with humor. "I'm not looking for dinner and a movie here, but a little foreplay would be nice."

A chortle escaped the convict's lips. "Aw, isn't that sweet. Cerberus might have given you a dick, but you're still a big old girl at heart."

There was something oddly comforting about that thought and Shepard laughed back, the tension she'd been feeling starting to break. The Spectre reached out to cup Jack's chin and the biotic went along, letting Shepard's lips meet hers for a surprisingly tender kiss. As their tongues entwined, she moaned softly and unexpectedly.

Jack licked her lips as the Spectre's hands ran over her back, massaging the tight muscles there. "Okay, Shepard, I'll admit you've got skills."

"Glad to hear it." The commander smiled as she said the words. It was reassuring to be on familiar ground, to be reminded that in spite of her change, she still knew how to bring another woman pleasure. "If we're doing this," she promised Jack, "I'm going to make sure you enjoy it too."

"Show me." The convict unfastened her skimpy top and Shepard cupped the perky breasts beneath it in her hands. The tattooed orbs weren't particularly large, but they were extremely sensitive and as Shepard massaged the nipples with her thumbs, Jack gasped. She wasn't used to her lovers giving a damn about her pleasure and she was enjoying the change. Another benefit of fucking a girl scout she supposed.

The commander's tongue ran along the side of Jack's neck, tracing the line of her scars rather than shying away from them as so many others had before. They were a reminder of the connection, and the enemy, that they shared, and when Shepard kissed them, Jack's body arched. As the biotic squirmed in her arms, the Spectre felt her cock start to swell against her boxers and when teeth nipped at her neck, the swell became an almost-painful strain, a craving that demanded to be taken care of.

Feeling the stiff press of eager flesh against her stomach, Jack laughed before tilting her head up to give Shepard a fierce kiss. "Seems like your body isn't quite as patient as you are," she teased.

Her hands went back to Shepard's pants, and this time, the commander let her undo them. She felt a spike of anxiety as Jack slid them down along with her boxer shorts, but she fought it down, trusting that the biotic wouldn't freak out at what she found.

The commander wasn't disappointed. When her lengthy erection sprung forth, pulsing eagerly in the dim light of the hold, Jack just smiled. "Well, at least they didn't stiff you."

"What?", Shepard asked, too emotionally overwhelmed not to mention turned on to think entirely straight.

"If you're gonna get a cock," Jack explained, wrapping a calloused palm around the shaft, "It might as well be a big one." She started running her hand up and down the considerable length and a choked sound of pleasure forced its way out of the Spectre's throat at her touch. "Aw, what's wrong?", Jack asked. "Forgot to jerk off this morning?"

"Haven't…" Shepard stammered, feeling ashamed of her own hesitancy in the face of Jack's casual confidence. "Haven't ever. It was too weird."

Ever? If that was true, Jack could hardly believe that Shepard had made it this long without doing half the crew of the _Normandy_ and two-thirds of the whores on Omega. "You really are a girl scout," she told her. "I better take the edge off or you'll last about six seconds when I fuck you."

"I'll be okay," Shepard insisted, but the truth was that she was already half-way to bursting just from the beginnings of a hand job and when Jack scoffed at her protest, the Spectre said nothing more, letting herself be led onto the cot where the biotic slept.

"Lie down," Jack instructed her, and Shepard complied, unbuttoning her shirt and unhooking her bra as the biotic slid down to the foot of the bed and crawled between the commander's legs. She was rock hard now, desperate for more stimulation, and while she waited for Jack to get started, her hands went to her own breasts. Massaging them roughly, she tried her best to forget the exact circumstances of what was going on and just lose herself in the physical sensations.

Jack started out with a exploratory flick of her tongue along the side of the shaft. The thing certainly felt real enough, and based on the gasp that came from Shepard when she licked it, it seemed to work normally as well. Already, Jack could see a drop of fluid forming on the head and so she stuck out her tongue once more, lapping it up. It was an interesting taste, somewhere in-between a guy's and a girl's, but what was even more interesting was the way Shepard's hips bucked at even the biotic's light touches.

"Please, Jack," the Spectre implored. She normally could enjoy a little teasing, but right now, she was just too frustrated for patience.

"I thought you wanted some foreplay, Shepard."

"I've had enough," she pleaded.

"Your call." In truth, Jack usually preferred to get right to the good parts herself, but there was something special about Shepard that made her want to take her wishes into account. The commander wasn't just a random hook-up, she was the closest thing Jack had to a friend and so, without further delay, the convict parted her plump lips and took the head of the cock into her mouth. It felt so full, swollen with Shepard's desperate arousal, and Jack suspected it wouldn't take long before she came. Sucking on the tip, she returned her hand to the base of the Spectre's shaft, pumping her with firm strokes.

The taut muscles of the commander's stomach tightened and through the haze of pleasure, Shepard found herself shocked by how fast she was coming undone. She couldn't help herself. She had no experience with this kind of sex and a mountain of tension she needed to release.

When Shepard's cockhead kept leaking salty fluid into her mouth, Jack could tell the Spectre was close but as she watched her commander' hips move, she noticed something else interesting. Beneath the base of the shaft, Shepard still had a pussy as well, and on impulse, the convict thrust two fingers inside it. The response was immediate. The feeling of being suddenly filled combined with the way Jack kept sucking hard on her shaft was more than Shepard could take, and with a gasp, she thrust upwards, burying herself as deeply as she could into her lover's hot mouth.

A veritable flood of Shepard's release poured down Jack's throat, and though she gulped down the first few shots, there was so much that the biotic couldn't keep up with it all. She pulled back, but she kept stroking, unwilling to relinquish her hold on the commander and the rush of power it gave her. What was left of Shepard's orgasm poured down over her hand, with a few strong shots making their way to the soldier's belly or Jack's face.

As her climax at last tapered off, Shepard sighed with relief. It felt as if the fog around her had cleared somewhat, the pressure that had been pounding at the back of her head for over a month lessened now. Jack, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess, but she didn't seem to mind, just unceremoniously wiping her hand and cheek off with the sheet before looking up at the red-head with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Christ, Shepard," she laughed, "I thought you were going to drown me there."

"Sorry." Shepard blushed, suddenly self-conscious once again about her strange anatomy.

"Nah, don't worry about it. At least you didn't try to hold my head down like some assholes would."

There was a vulnerability in Jack's voice, and Shepard cringed, thinking about some of the things the biotic must have had to do to survive over the years. "Never," she said reassuringly, pulling Jack up to lie on top of her, there not being enough room on the tiny bed for anything else. "Trust me."

"Hey, don't go pulling that touchy-feely crap on me," Jack insisted, but a part of her appreciated the reminder that she could rely on Shepard. The woman had nearly gotten herself killed helping Jack out on Pragia, after all, and she hadn't even complained about it.

Shepard gave her a little half-smile, deciding not to press the point. "Whatever you say," she agreed. "How about I just do some touching and feeling instead?" Jack licked her lips at that and with a deft motion, Shepard reversed their positions so that she was on top of the convict before starting to kiss her way down the tattoos that covered her chest.

Some of the pieces of Jack's body art were better work than others, but the overall effect was impressive she thought, a mosaic of colors and designs that the commander explored with her mouth, sucking on nipples, nipping at breasts, and caressing the skin she found. Beneath her, she felt Jack's hips buck, eager for some kind of contact on her sex, and she unfastened the ties of the other woman's cargo pants so that she could help her out with that.

Beneath them, there was nothing except smooth flesh. The convict hadn't bothered to wear underwear, and her hair had all been removed, probably in some permanent way judging by the fact that her tattoos extended down just above her sex. Shepard moved her mouth to Jack's thighs, taking a moment to inhale her musky smell. Amidst all the strangeness, this, the scent of another woman, was familiar to her, and when the biotic groaned impatiently, Shepard ran her tongue deftly over her slick folds.

She was wet, wetter than Shepard might have expected and as she started probing inside her with a single finger, the tightness of her new lover's pussy caused a tug of fresh arousal in the commander's cock. She was far from satisfied she realized and the thought of being buried inside that heat was making her body hum with anticipation.

It was a desire that didn't bother her as much as it would have only minutes earlier, but first, she had work to do. She had never been a selfish lover, and when Jack had spread herself, giving Shepard a perfect view of her hard little clit, the commander eagerly took the bud between her lips while she kept fucking her new lover with her finger.

"More," Jack growled, and Shepard moved to add a second finger. It was a tight fit, sliding it into the petite biotic's sex, but when the commander got inside, she was rewarded by the feeling of Jack's body releasing more wetness to coat her digit. The convict's hips thrashed wildly as she pressed herself against Shepard's hand, and the Spectre took the cue, fucking her hard and fast. Her tongue vibrated over the convict's clit as she fingered her and when Jack started growling obscenities, her fists tangling in the sheets, Shepard knew she was on the edge. She gripped her lover's ass with her free hand, pushing her harder against her mouth, and with a final stroke of her tongue on the woman's pulsing clit, Jack came for her, her body nearly arching off the bed as she screamed with release.

Between her legs, Shepard's cock throbbed almost painfully at the sight and even as Jack was winding down from her climax, the Spectre looked up at her, an unspoken question in her green eyes.

"The fuck are you waiting for?" Jack demanded, still panting from her powerful orgasm but hungry for more. "Fuck me."

Shepard withdrew her fingers and slid up the bed, trying to line her erection up with Jack's opening. The biotic didn't feel like waiting for her to get it right, grabbing her commander's firm ass and guiding her in. As her swollen tip pushed against Jack's opening though, Shepard hesitated. It was a tight fit, far tighter than it had been for her fingers, and she didn't want to hurt her partner.

Jack, however, seemed unconcerned. While Shepard tried to go slowly, Jack pressed her hips downward and first the head and then the first few inches of the commander's cock pressed into her lover's wet pussy. As Shepard's member filled her, Jack let out a sharp sigh. It was a tight fit to be sure, the stretching mildly painful, but she liked it that way. Pain reminded her that she was alive and as the commander kept going deeper, Jack's discomfort was more than balanced out by the pleasure, the head of the Spectre's cock hitting places inside her that the her fingers hadn't been able to reach.

As she finally sheathed herself all the way inside Jack, Shepard had to pause, taking a deep breath lest she blow again before she even really got started. Stopping herself from coming too quickly wasn't something she'd had to worry about when using a strap-on and her resolve wasn't helped by an impatient Jack wrapping her legs around her ass and starting to hump her aching dick.

Realizing her lover wasn't going to wait, Shepard started thrusting while still trying her best to hold back. It wasn't easy. The convict was wonderfully tight around her, and she fucked like she did most things: with a ferocious determination. To distract herself, the commander pressed kisses along Jack's neck, trying to focus on something other that the intense pleasure she was feeling. The harder she kissed, the more the biotic liked it, and when she bit down on the soft skin of Jack's throat, the reaction was instantaneous, nails digging into the strong muscles of the Spectre's back as her lover cried out.

Encouraged, Shepard repeated the action, and Jack's legs pressed tighter on the Spectre's firm ass, pulling her deeper inside. Shepard went along with her wishes, fucking Jack harder, but despite her best efforts, she realized she couldn't hold out much longer against the stimulation she was receiving. As her strokes became more rapid and her face contorted with pleasure, Jack realized it too. The biotic nipped her lover's ear and hissed, "Not yet, damn it, Shepard. I'm so fucking close."

Snaking a hand down between their sweating bodies, Shepard pressed her thumb against Jack's clit, trying to give the convict that little bit of extra stimulation she needed, while with her other one, she gripped the back of her head and pressed their lips together for a passionate kiss. As the commander rubbed her lover, she made a series of short, sharp thrusts with her cock and on the third one, she felt Jack crash over once more, screaming into Shepard's mouth even as, impossibly, her pussy clenched even tighter around the Spectre.

It was too much for Shepard and even as Jack spasmed around her, the commander came hard, moving aside her hand so that she could bury herself as deeply as possible in that amazing, clinging heat. Even after her first climax she had so much stored-up lust that she felt as if her orgasm would never end, shot after shot of her sticky release filling up the convict and even dripping out onto the sheets beneath them.

It was several minutes before the commander could bear to move and when she finally did pull out, she was slippery and soft and more relaxed than she'd been since she woke up. Jack gave her cock a final, playful tug and the commander let out a happy sigh. Cerberus might have fucked them two of them over, but they'd found a pretty good way to fuck them right back.

* * *

><p>As Shepard climbed off of the small cot and began to hunt around for her clothes, Miranda Lawson allowed herself a small smile. It wasn't that this was the best possible outcome from her perspective. She would have much preferred that Shepard had succumbed to her charms, or even better, those of Miss Chambers. Still, it would do, she reflected as she closed the window displaying the surveillance footage from the sub-level beneath engineering. After all, she'd already had the foresight to switch Jack's birth control pills with worthless substitutes. Now, she'd just have to make sure the woman was properly impregnated and then keep her under control until she came to term.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>And now the ball's really rolling. From here on out, it will all be new material. Are Shepard and Jack dating now? What will Liara make of all this when she finds out? What is Miranda planning? Stay tuned for all that, plus plenty more smut.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_"Just a little longer, sweetheart. I know you can do it."_

_ Shepard brushed her hand affectionately over Liara's face and the asari bit the inside of her cheek, doing her best to hold back. The Spectre's full lips caught her blue ones once more for a long, slow kiss while her hand moved back between Liara's legs, building her up again with gentle strokes along the length of her clit._

_When Shepard had suggested trying this, the archeologist had been confused, asking, "But I enjoy it so much when you make me climax. I am not quite sure I understand the purpose in delaying that."_

"_With sex, the trip is half the fun," the Spectre had informed her with a mischievous grin, "And sometimes, taking a longer trip can make it even more intense when you finally do get there._

"_All right," Liara had agreed, "I trust you."_

_She still did and after an hour of relentless teasing and pleasuring, the asari knew that Shepard had been right. Her whole body was tingling, her every nerve ending sensitized, the smallest touches of her lover's hands and mouth enough to send shivers through her. The climax building inside her was truly massive and as she approached it, Liara was too far gone to do anything but clutch at the commander's shoulder, making a series of small whimpering noises as she was stroked._

_The tips of Shepard's fingers slid just a little bit of the way into her soaked azure and the archeologist's hips pushed desperately against them, trying to take her commander deeper._

"_Jesus, you look beautiful when you're so turned on," Shepard purred, pulling her fingers back far enough to temporarily deny Liara all of what she wanted without breaking contact entirely. "And you've been so good." She planted a kiss on the sweaty skin of the asari's neck before whispering, "Do you want to come now?"_

"_Goddess, yes, please," Liara begged, her eyes already half-way to black with her need, not sure how much longer she could fight down the urge to meld._

_Hearing her plea, the Spectre suddenly thrust her fingers the rest of the way into Liara and the asari screamed, too turned on to care if half the ship heard her. Shepard's thumb rubbed firmly along her clit and at that final stimulation, her walls completely collapsed. The archeologist's mind reached out, yanking Shepard's thoughts to hers, and her body went rigid as the most powerful climax she had even experienced overtook her._

_Across the meld, she could feel Shepard peaking too, the Spectre pressing her own thighs together as her body shook from an orgasm that's she'd barely needed to be touched to achieve, but even beneath her pleasure, the power of her feelings was unmistakable. Her love and pride were deep wells that Liara eagerly drank from, the emotional bliss prolonging the physical, Shepard's hand and her love guiding the asari through ecstatic convulsions that she felt would never end, that she never wanted to end._

* * *

><p>Liara awoke with a gasp, the last moments of her erotic dream still burned into her mind even as consciousness returned to her. She slept in the nude, a habit she had picked up during her time with Shepard, and when she slid a hand between her sweaty thighs, she found them slick with her arousal, her body's reaction mirroring the lust that still swirled around her head.<p>

All that a part of her wanted do was lie back in bed and return to the past, to recall the way that she'd reciprocated, eating Shepard out until her tongue was sore and both of them lay exhausted from more shared climaxes than they could count. To touch herself to those memories until she could find some sort of release.

Another part, though, couldn't bear the thought. The memory of that night, once so dear to her, had turned bitter to contemplate. How could the same woman who had taught her so much about pleasure abandon her now? How could the love she had seen in her commander's thoughts have vanished into thin air?

It might have been easier if she understood. The archeologist liked to believe she was a rationalist and she thought that, perhaps, if she had a plausible reason for why Shepard had moved on, she could too in spite of the strength of her feelings.

She wasn't convinced it was as simple as a case of lost interest, though. The asari's thoughts kept returning to that one day on Ilium when they had seen each other once again, only for Shepard to leave her once more. To the kiss she could have sworn the commander was relishing as much as Liara had been. To the frightened look in Shepard's eyes when she'd pulled away. To the perfunctory, unsatisfying explanation the Spectre had given Liara for why they couldn't be together now.

None of it made any sense to her, and trying to solve the mystery without sufficient data was slowly driving Liara mad. Hoping that work would distract her from her confusion, to say nothing of her unwanted arousal, the asari picked up her omni-tool from her nightstand and checked her messages.

Sadly, none of them was of especial use to her. There were more leads to be sure: a possible agent of the Shadow Broker she could investigate, a crooked politician she could blackmail, but it wasn't enough. Even after Shepard's aid had unmasked her own secretary, Nyxeris, as a spy for the Broker, it hadn't brought Liara any closer to her goal. The other asari had attacked her, forcing Liara to terminate her employment rather permanently, and a search of her files hadn't revealed anything the information broker could use to find her real enemy. There was nothing but more payments run through dummy companies and bank accounts with fake names on them, not the thread that would lead her to what she really wanted: an identity or location for the Shadow Broker.

Frustrated, the asari closed her inbox and rose from the bed, throwing on a thin grey robe she kept nearby. This was getting her nowhere, neither pining for her former lover nor her current approach to finding the Shadow Broker helping in least. She walked over to the huge window that covered one of the walls of her apartment and as she gazed out at the vast city of Nos Astra waking up beneath her, Liara realized she needed to try something new.

But what? Somewhere out there were the answers she needed, but who had them? The answer hit her like a shock to the spine. Cerberus. It all came back to Cerberus. They were the ones who had told her where to find Shepard's body and who had then taken custody of it after Liara rescued her lover from the Blue Suns. The fact that the Illusive Man knew about the Broker's involvement in that matter meant he probably had some kind of intelligence on them, and the fact that Shepard had been working for him ever since meant that he might have some clue as to what was wrong with the Spectre.

Walking over to her terminal, Liara began opening up her old files on Cerberus, refreshing her memories. In the almost two years in-between the hand-over of Shepard's body and her return, Liara had begun an investigation into the human supremacist group, hoping to learn if they were doing as they'd promised with her commander. She'd made enough progress to confirm massive spending on some kind of bleeding edge bio-tech project, but after she'd known that Shepard was alive, she'd given up on that line of research, focusing instead on her hunt for the Broker. That had been a mistake, and as she pulled up her list of medical supply companies who she knew had done business with Cerberus, it was one she vowed she would not make a second time.

* * *

><p>It was two days after their little romp in the hold before she and Shepard talked again, at least beyond just saying, "Hey," while they passed each other in the halls on the <em>Normandy<em>. It wasn't that she'd been avoiding Shepard, the convict told herself, just that the commander had been busy. After Pragia, it had been straight off to Omega, where Shepard was running some sort of errand for that big-breasted Justicar they'd picked up. That meant shore leave for the rest of the crew, leave Jack was spending at the sort of vile hole in the wall she liked to drink in.

She was enjoying her third round of the evening from atop a stool she'd kicked a smart-mouthed turian off of when the commander came in. The well-groomed red-head looked about three cuts too good for the place but her shiny guns and armor discouraged anyone from commenting on that fact as she crossed the bar room.

"Hey," the red-head said, taking an open seat next to Jack, "Nice spot you've got here."

"Yeah, well, it's out of the way," Jack replied with a shrug. "How'd you find me anyway?"

"I'm pretty good at that sort of thing," Shepard told her, returning the shrug and telling the tattooed asari working the bar that she'd have one of whatever Jack was drinking. "Special forces training and all that. Anyway, I thought you might want to talk."

"About what?" Jack took a swig of her drink. It stung her throat, but in a way she kind of enjoyed. "We fucked. It's not a big deal."

Her words were dismissive, but Shepard wasn't sure if she really felt so little or if that was just part of the uncaring façade the biotic usually wore. Not wanting to pressure Jack about it in either case, Shepard didn't focus on the convict's feelings. "Maybe it wasn't for you," she told Jack, "But I was pretty much a wreck and you straightened my head out." She took a slug of the brown liquor in her glass, swallowing the burning liquid before she had to taste too much of it. "Did you hear what my mission on Omega was, anyway?"

"Some shit for Samara," Jack replied.

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't the kind of work I usually do. She had me acting as the bait for an asari sex vampire." A little shiver of remembered and confusing desire ran through her as she recalled the way the Ardat-Yakshi had looked at her, the dark pleasures her eyes had promised. "How well do you think that would have gone two days ago?"

That idea got a laugh out of Jack. "Not good. You were pretty much a horny mess."

"I was," she agreed. She'd held out, resisting Morinth's advances until Samara arrived, but in the state she'd been in before Jack's help, she doubted she would have managed half as well. "And I owe you one for fixing that."

"Nah," Jack shook her head, uncomfortable with the expression of gratitude. Not only did she not like asking for favors, she didn't want anybody else to owe them to her. Those kind of ties just complicated things. Better to keep it simple. Less chance of getting hurt that way. "You helped me on Pragia," she told Shepard, "And besides, I got off too. You don't owe me shit."

Shepard didn't agree, but she wasn't going to argue the point, given how uncomfortable it seemed to make Jack. "Fair enough. We'll call it even."

For a few minutes, the two women sat in silence, finishing off their drinks. Once her glass was empty, Shepard wasn't really keen for another one, and the Spectre stood up, leaving a few credits on the bar to cover their tabs. "See you back at the ship," she told the biotic, but before she got all the way off her stool, Jack stopped her.

The convict couldn't quite put a name to what she was feeling, but in a single, impulsive moment, she decided she didn't want to leave things like that. Shepard had been the best fuck she could remember, and she was a friend, so why the hell not say something? "Hey, Shep," she told the Spectre, "You know, what happened, I wouldn't mind doing it again some time."

Shepard smiled at the reluctant compliment. "Neither would I," she replied and as the commander sat back down for one more drink, she reflected that while it still wasn't romance, right then, it'd do.

* * *

><p>"What do you have to report, Operative Lawson?"<p>

Miranda instinctively straightened her already-excellent posture as she faced the Illusive Man's holographic image. With Shepard busy on Omega, it was a good time for her to use the _Normandy_'s communication array without the commander being any the wiser. "There's been a significant development, sir," she told her boss, "Shepard has had sex with Subject Zero."

The leader of Cerberus took a long drag on his cigarette before he answered. "I see. This wasn't our optimal scenario, was it?"

"No, sir," she agreed, "But it a possibility we foresaw, and certainly one that we can exploit."

He nodded. "Agreed. Do you know if the relationship is ongoing?"

"It's too soon to say, but I don't think it will matter. In either case, there should be more than sufficient attachment if we have to activate our contingency plan."

"I'll trust your judgment in this matter, Miranda." The threat beneath his words was unspoken but clearly understood none the less. If she was wrong and Shepard didn't stay under their control, Miranda would be the one who'd take the blame for that failure. "Are there any other developments I should know about?"

"No, sir. Everything else is on schedule. We've recruited all of the personnel in the dossiers you gave Shepard, and she continues to build her relationships with the rest of the crew. She really does have a talent for that kind of interaction."

"Very good." He crushed out his cigarette before lighting a fresh one, the digital smoke swirling around his face. "There is one thing you should be aware of, however. Doctor T'Soni has begun making inquiries into your work on Shepard. She's done this before, during the Lazarus Project, but her resources are greater at this point and she may be able to make inroads."

"Should we eliminate her?" Miranda had first suggested that course of action after Cerberus had received the commander's body out of concern that Liara's past relationship with Shepard would prove an obstacle to their plans.

"I still don't think that would be wise," the Illusive Man cautioned her. "If Shepard's desire for revenge becomes stronger than her attachments, we could lose control of the situation. No, I have another way. We can both get rid of the doctor and get Shepard to thank us for our role in doing so. I'll send you the details."

The Illusive Man ended their connection and as she began perusing the file he transmitted to her, Miranda's face took on a small, determined smile. Certainly, the road they were going down was dangerous, but it was the one she had chosen to walk. The galaxy would not be saved from the Reapers by half-measures, but she was determined that one way or another, it would be saved.

* * *

><p><strong>And now we're off to the new material in earnest. A tough chapter for poor Liara I'd say. Please let me know what you thought of it and thanks for reading.<br>**


	5. Chapter 5

"So, uh, Shepard," Garrus began, clearly hesitant to broach whatever topic was on his mind, "About you and Jack…"

"Is this really the best time to talk about it?", Shepard asked tersely as the sound of Geth rifle fire sang through the sky about the two soldiers. The commander popped out from behind the fallen stone column she was using for cover, snapping off a shot that caught one of the Geth troopers in the head before ducking back down. "We're a little busy at the moment."

"Well, it's hard to find the time, what with the Collectors luring us into one trap after another," Garrus replied, activating an overload pulse that disabled the shields of an approaching Pyro before striking it's fuel tank with a round from his Widow. The Geth exploded in a burst of flame, and Garrus continued, "Look, what you do is your business, but I'm worried about Liara. How do you think she's going to react when she hears about this? I don't know what happened between you two on Ilium but…"

"Liara and I…" Shepard paused to roll a grenade in the direction of the last remaining Geth, catching a rocket trooper and two others in a fiery blast. "We're not together any more."

"What happened?", Garrus asked, taking advantage of the lull in the attacks to pick up some spare thermal clips for his sniper rifle, taking care to stay out of the harsh light of the Haestrom sun.

"I don't really want to talk about it." How could she, given her reasons? "Anyway, how do you even know about Jack and I?"

"It's a small ship," the turian observed in that dry tone of his, "And Jack can be somewhat loud."

Beneath her helmet, Shepard suspected she was blushing fiercely and in an effort to avoid any more conversation on the topic, she radioed Tali. "How's it coming?", she asked the quarian. "You get your lot taken care of yet?"

In the background, she heard a shotgun blast. "That's the last of them," the quarian assured her. "I'll head back down and rendezvous with you two in a minute."

Shepard signed off with Tali, but unfortunately, Garrus wasn't letting their previous topic of conversation drop so easily. "Shepard," he told her, "I don't want to be a pain in the ass here, but as your friend, I'm a little worried about you. You'd been acting tense for weeks, then you and Liara broke up, and now you're sleeping with Jack. I'm not saying she isn't good in a fight, but she's not exactly the picture of mental health either."

The commander sighed. "Garrus, I appreciate your concern, but I know what I'm doing. And Jack is… more complicated than she seems. She's making a lot of progress."

She wasn't the only one either. Though the commander still had little idea what to make of their arrangement, Jack's help had gone a long way to bringing the Spectre off of the ledge she'd been on that night in the cargo hold when they'd first hooked up. The sex was a big part of it, sure, but it was more than just that. The biotic had a way of keeping Shepard out of her own head, of making the strangeness both in her body and all around them feel like it wasn't the end of the world.

Before any more could be said, Tali made her reappearance, the engineer strolling down the ramp preceded by the glowing ball of light that was her drone. Garrus quickly shut up, having clearly decided not to continue their talk with Tali there, but though the conversation turned back to their mission, Shepard's thoughts lingered on her friend's words. She'd been certain Liara would be disgusted by her new body, that she was protecting her former lover by staying away. Now, she worried that she was just going to hurt the asari in another way, one that, unlike her change, she actually was responsible for.

* * *

><p>"So, anyway, apparently half the ship knows about us."<p>

Jack shrugged at Shepard's statement. "So they know we're fucking", she snorted. "What's the problem with that?" The biotic started unlacing her boots as she added, "And speaking of fucking, I thought that's what we were here for."

The commander wasn't taking the bait though, keeping her distance from Jack as she protested, "It's a little more complicated than that."

"Isn't it always with you, girl scout?" Jack tossed away her boots and flopped down on the big bed in the commander's quarters, which, she had to admit, was a lot more fun to screw on than her tiny cot. "All right, I'll humor you. What the fuck's the problem this time? It's not like they known about your dick, right?"

"It's my ex," Shepard told her. "That asari on Ilium, Liara, who gave us the intel on Thane and Samara. was part of my crew on the old _Normandy_. We used to be together and I don't want this getting back to her."

Jack could hear pain in the commander's voice as she talked about Liara, and for some reason, it bothered her. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't like she and Shepard were a real thing, and even if they were, why should she give a fuck who the commander had slept with before they met up? "So," she said with a shrug, trying to cover her discomfort, "Who cares if she finds out? You two are done, right?"

"We are," Shepard agreed, "But I'm still not sure she'd take it well, and I don't want to hurt her any more than I need to. I've done enough damage already."

"Jesus, Shepard," Jack laughed, "You really are the galaxy's biggest girl scout. I mean, here you are on a suicide mission, running around fixing the problems of me and every other head case on this ship, and you're still worried you might be an asshole. Trust me." The biotic reached up and grabbed her lover's belt, yanking her down on the bed next to her. "I've known plenty of assholes and you ain't one of them."

In spite of her obvious discomfort with the topic, Shepard smiled. Goddamn it, Jack thought unexpectedly, she really did have a great smile. "Thanks," the commander chuckled, before asking a second later, "Jack, have you ever actually met a girl scout?"

Jack rolled her eyes at the question. The truth was that because of her fucked-up childhood, she'd never met a girl scout, or a cheerleader, or done any of those other, normal types of things that regular little kids got to do. "Nah," she confessed, "Just heard about them from vids and shit. They're supposed to be friendly, and help people out, and crap like that, right? Kind of sounds like you."

"They also sell cookies," Shepard informed her with a widening smile.

"Cookies, huh?" Jack laughed. "I wish you'd get some of those here. I've eaten enough k-rations on this boat to last a krogan's lifetime."

"Sorry, no such luck," Shepard shrugged. "I guess I'm not much of a girl scout after all."

"Nah, fuck the cookies," Jack replied, a devilish grin spreading across her face as she began to unbutton her cargo pants. "I have something else you can eat instead."

* * *

><p>Liara closed the message on her terminal screen, frowning deeply as she got up and paced across the floor of her apartment. She'd sent all of the invoices associated with the Lazarus Project that she'd been able to find to a bio-medical researcher back on Thessia who owed her a favor, and Doctor L'Rai's analysis was unsettling to say the least. Most of what it suggested was what one would have expected given the nature of the project: investment in bleeding edge cellular regeneration and tissue re-growing technologies, work on the preservation of stored neurological information, and other relatively innocuous expenses.<p>

According to the doctor, however, there was something out of place. Some of the purchases and hires apparently only made sense if Cerberus intended to alter Shepard's nervous system and hormones as they reconstructed her, and worrying about what those changes might have been sent shivers of guilt through the asari's troubled thoughts.

Brushing back the tears that threatened to form in her blue eyes, she walked over to the case that held the piece of the commander's armor that she'd recovered along with her body. Her hand brushed over the cool glass, and the information broker whispered, "Oh my love, what did I let them do to you?"

It hadn't been an easy decision for Liara, helping Cerberus to obtain Shepard's body, and giving it to the human supremacist group afterwards had been one of the most painful things she'd ever done. She'd feared that they'd fail, feared that they'd use Shepard to advance their own schemes, and perhaps more than anything, she'd feared this. Feared that the Illusive Man would bring back her lost love, but change her, twisting the Spectre she'd fallen for in Goddess only knew what way.

Whatever it took, Liara needed to make this right, but before she could do that, she had to know exactly what it was that had happened in the first place. She needed more information, and one of the few places she could think to start was with someone else who'd spoken to the commander both before and after the Collector attack. Garrus or Tali would have been good choices, but as crew members aboard the new _Normandy_, there was too great a risk that any message she sent to them would be monitored by Cerberus. Still, if the reports that had crossed her desk were to be believed, there was someone else she could call.

* * *

><p>"Liara?" Ashley Williams smiled when she saw the asari's face on the other end of the call. "It's been too long." Since shortly after the first <em>Normandy<em> was destroyed, Liara realized. Over two long, bitter years ago.

"Indeed," the information broker agreed. "And I am sorry for that." After Shepard had died, she'd cut herself off from the rest of the crew, losing herself first in grief and then in work and the desire for revenge, feelings that Cerberus had exploited all too easily.

"You were hurting," Ashley replied gently before adding, "We all were." Liara just nodded. Her pain was far from past, but she couldn't let it control her anymore. Shepard needed her and the galaxy needed Shepard. "She's back now though," the marine told Liara. "I don't know if you've seen her…"

"I have," Liara replied flatly, "And that is why I called you. Something…" How best to put this? "Something is different about her."

"Well, she's working for Cerberus," Ashley said with an angry snort. "That's a pretty big change. I mean, you were there with us when we fought those assholes. You saw the experiments, the dead marines: how does it make any sense that the Commander Shepard we knew would join up with the people behind that?"

"That is part of my concern," Liara said tentatively, her own part in bringing about Shepard's new allegiance causing a fresh pang of guilt to spike in her gut . "But I think there may be something more going on here. A deeper change. When you spoke with her on Horizon, did something seem wrong?"

Ashley paused, running her fingers through her long, dark hair as she thought back to the meeting that had prompted Liara's call. It was a mark of how much things had changed between them that the asari had made it at all. When she'd first joined the crew of the _Normandy_, Ashley had been suspicious of her intentions and disapproving of her relationship with Shepard, one of the last members of the crew to warm to her. She had though, day by day, and Liara had learned that although a marine's friendship wasn't always easily given, it was also most reliable.

"I think there was something, now that you mention it," Ashley finally told her, "But it's hard to define. Shepard was, I don't know, off somehow when we talked. In the old days, she was always patient with everyone but on Horizon she seemed really on edge. And uncomfortable too. I put it down to her having died plus working for Cerberus, but do you think there's more to it than that?"

"I do," Liara confirmed. "I believe that Cerberus may have modified Shepard somehow, and that her unusual behavior could be a reaction whatever changes they made." She could see the look of disgust on the marine's face at the idea, and she decided to see if her old comrade was willing to go further. "Ashley," she told her, "I need to do some further research into this matter, but if I Cerberus really has done something to Shepard, it may be up to us to help her. Can I rely on you?"

"Of course," the marine said, no hesitation in her voice. "Just let me know; I'll find a way to get some leave." Liara smiled gratefully at her, and Ashley added, "Don't worry, Liara, we'll get these bastards and fix the skipper up right."

The call ended and as Ashley's image, faded from her screen, Liara's smile turned rueful. She wished she could share the marine's optimism about a happy ending, but if her time in the information business had taught her anything, it was that sometimes, the bastards won.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the multiple postings; something's been wonky about the document for this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"What's up, babe?"<p>

Shepard looked up from her terminal at the tattooed biotic lying naked in her bed. She was getting used to Jack sticking around after sex, and even though her lover hadn't made a big deal about the change, the commander still felt like it meant something that she wasn't so quick to grab for her clothes after they finished. Of course, right now what it meant was that Jack was there for what might prove to be an awkward revelation.

"It's a message from the Illusive Man," she told the convict.

She snorted. "What's that asshole want?"

"He's giving me something, actually. Intel to help find the Shadow Broker."

Jack shook her head derisively. "Why? What's in it for him?"

"Not sure." Though she shared the convict's suspicions, Shepard hadn't considered the question yet. Instead, her first thought had been that perhaps the intelligence could serve as a peace offering to Liara. She still felt lousy about having hurt the asari the last time they met, and though the Spectre couldn't give her former lover what they both wanted, she could at least help her out. "Liara's been looking for the Broker," she added by way of explanation to Jack.

"Your ex, the intel dealer? What's she want with the Shadow Broker?"

"Not sure about that either." Jack rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. I'm a really great Spectre, aren't I?", Shepard said with a laugh. "Always on top of everything."

The biotic shrugged. "You do okay."

Shepard put on her best offended voice. "Gee, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence, Jack."

"Aw, you hurt?" Jack sprang to her feet, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around the Spectre's back. "Want me to apologize, girl scout?"

Her hands started over down the baggy t-shirt Shepard had thrown on after sex, cupping the Spectre's full breasts and roughly tweaking her nipples through the thin fabric. They stiffened and Jack laughed, a smug smile on her pretty face. "Aw, turned on again already?", she teased her. "You really can't get enough of me, can you?"

Shepard might have protested, but Jack's fingers were already wandering down to her boxers and when they brushed over her stiffening cock, she knew there was no sense in denying it. "I guess not," she confessed. "This thing really does give me away, doesn't it?"

Jack's hand slid inside her shorts, gripping the warm flesh she found there. The commander was still sensitive from her earlier climax and it was almost painful when she throbbed against Jack's palm. "Or was it thinking about your little blue ex-girlfriend that got you all hot?", the convict asked. Her voice was hard to read, superficially playful but with a note of something that could've been jealousy beneath it. Either way though, Shepard's powers of observation weren't exactly at their best, not with Jack starting to jerk her off while they conversed.

"Listen," she told the biotic, biting her lip as she tried her best to concentrate on talking, "We're not together anymore, but I do still have feeling for Liara. Is that a problem?"

Jack stopped what her hand had been doing, instead bending down to nip the commander's ear. "You don't owe me anything, Shep. Just don't bullshit me."

"I'm not."

"I know," Jack agreed. "Otherwise, I'd leave you blue-balled." Her hand started pumping Shepard's erection once more, and the commander was rapidly finding it hard to think about anything else. The biotic definitely knew what she was doing, and when she pulled Shepard's chair away from the desk and circled around it, the Spectre's breath caught in her throat.

Jack dropped to her knees in front of her, yanking Shepard's boxers off in a rough motion and exposing her cock to the cool air of the cabin. Full lips enveloped the head and Jack gave it a hard little suck, making the commander jerk in her mouth. "Shit," the commander groaned, "You really don't mess around, do you?"

"You complaining?" Jack had pulled her mouth off enough to answer, but to compensate, she started jerking the her lover once more, her strong fingers heavenly on Shepard's sensitive flesh.

"No," was all Shepard could manage to reply, sinking down into the chair as she gave herself over to the pleasure she was feeling.

"Good." Jack's mouth swallowed her up once more and the commander stopped talking entirely. The convict was as relentless as always, her head bobbing up and down on Shepard's dick while staring up at her lover with a devilish gleam in her brown eyes.

Shepard didn't try to hold off her climax, and Jack wasn't trying to help her do so. A few minutes of vigorous sucking were enough to push the Spectre close to the edge, but even as her cock started twitching in Jack's mouth, the convict suddenly pulled back. The commander was confused; Jack had never been shy about swallowing before, but then her partner took her erection and pointed it at her tattooed chest. At the realization of what the biotic wanted her to do, Shepard pulsed with excitement and when Jack gave her one more firm stroke, she lost control completely.

Waves of pleasure ran through her whole body as she came, spurts of her release flying out to cover Jack's pert breasts with sticky trails of the thick liquid. The biotic let her pulse several more times in her hand before covering the commander's cock head with her mouth once more, sucking the last of her orgasm out with a force that left Shepard seeing stars. "Jesus, Jack," she mumbled, "That was… unexpected."

"Yeah, but you kind of dug it, right?", the convict replied, swallowing down Shepard's come. Shepard could only manage a nod as her lover got back up. "Besides," Jack laughed, "So what if you made a mess? That's why that Illusive asshole gave you this sweet shower, right?"

Shepard laughed along with her lover, shaking her head at Jack's words. She wasn't sure she'd want to share the biotic's cavalier outlook on life, but she couldn't deny it had done her a world of good.

* * *

><p>This time, Liara was ready to see her. At least, that's what the asari had been trying to convince herself ever since she got the message informing her that her former lover was on her way back to Ilium. Still, when Commander Shepard actually walked into her office, the information broker's heart caught in her chest. The powerful Spectre carried herself better than she had the last time they spoke, Liara thought, looking more like her old self again. She didn't seem as tense as she had before, and though she still looked uneasy, the fear that the asari had seen after their last kiss was absent.<p>

"It's good to see you again, Shepard." The information broker was trying her best to keep her anxieties out of her voice, not wanting to spook the Spectre once more. "Where is the rest of your crew?"

"Shore leave. We're almost ready to take the fight to the Collectors, and I wanted to give everybody a chance to blow off a little steam first." She reached into her pocket, pulling out an OSD. "I had something else to do. This is for you."

Liara took the drive. "What is on it?"

"Intelligence on the Shadow Broker. I know you've been trying to find him, and this might help."

"That's wonderful." Liara paused, a suspicious thought occurring to her. "Where did you come across this information?"

"Cerberus, actually. I'm not sure why the Illusive Man wants to help you out, but we're not really in a position to turn down aid these days." She laughed. "At least I'm not."

Liara turned the gift over in her hand. Unlike Shepard, she did have an idea of why the Illusive Man was doing this. He must have gotten wind of her investigation and wanted to divert her from it. The intelligence was a ploy, and yet, that didn't mean she could ignore it. The Broker really was a threat, especially since he was apparently allied with the Collectors that her love was going to be facing soon.

"Thank you," she told the commander, slipping the drive into her pocket. "I'll need some time to check this out and make sure the intelligence is reliable. Do you think you will be on Ilium long enough to help me follow up if I need your help?"

"I'd love to." Shepard smiled as she said the words, but Liara knew her ex well enough to detect some ambivalence in her voice. The human wasn't the only one feeling that way. Being so close to the woman she wanted without being able to have her was going to be exceedingly difficult for Liara, but this had to be done. Closer observation would give her a chance to find out what was really behind Shepard's behavior, a puzzle that seemed to be acquiring more layers by the day.

* * *

><p>Leaving Liara's office, Shepard's cheerful front collapsed, the Spectre tangling a hand in her red hair and yanking on it as she growled in frustration. It wasn't quite as hard to see Liara without the incredible frustration she'd been carrying the last time, but that didn't make it easy. Seeing the beautiful asari again made her heart ache with how much she missed her.<p>

Things like this didn't used to happen to Shepard. Before she'd met the archeologist two years ago, she'd been a heartbreaker, someone who was a lot better at inspiring love than reciprocating it. She'd enjoyed the string of one-night stands and short relationships that went with the special-ops lifestyle, not too worried about finding something deeper.

Liara had changed all that. Her kindness, her intelligence, and her hidden strength had inspired a passion that the Spectre had never felt until then. Before the Collector attack, Shepard had started imagining things with her: a real relationship, a future together, maybe even children some day. Those dreams had been interrupted by her death and unwanted transformation, but being around the asari once more had left Shepard with no doubt that a part of her still wanted them to come true.

And yet, the commander had to admit that she'd started having feelings for Jack as well. The two women had nothing in common aside from powerful biotics and, she noted with a rueful smile, very pretty eyes, but the convict was special all the same. Shepard was finding herself falling for Jack's reckless determination and her surprising tenderness, and really, she wasn't sure what to do about any of this.

Plopping herself down on a bench in the Nos Astra market-place, the Spectre shook her head at her own situation. Here she was on a mission to save the galaxy and her heart decided that getting her into a love triangle was a good idea. Inevitably, someone was going to end up hurt, possibly more than one person, and it was probably going to be her fault. Christ, but she was starting to feel that a suicide mission might really be the easier way out.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Ms. Vasir."<p>

The asari Spectre had good reason to be suspicious of the face on the screen in front of her. For one thing, it wasn't exactly a face, the features of the person she was talking to digitally obscured, the call coming from a blocked extra-net address. The only reason Tela Vasir had answered it at all was that it had come in on her private line and that number was difficult to come by.

"Who am I talking to?" She didn't really expect an straight answer, but the type of evasion she got back might be revealing.

"Someone with whom you share a common problem. Liara T'Soni has been looking into your employer." The caller's voice had been altered too, even their species hard to discern. Whoever this was, secrecy was clearly paramount to them.

The Spectre kept her response formal. "Like any citizen, Doctor T'Soni is free to enquire into the Council's business."

"Not the Council. Your other employer."

Tela Vasir felt a twinge of worry at that. She'd worked with the Shadow Broker several times in the past. His intelligence had helped her to safeguard Council interests, and the money he paid went a long way towards funding her operations. If he demanded the occasional favor in return, it was all for the greater good. Still, she wasn't keen to have the fact that she'd worked for him come out into the open. The galaxy seldom wanted to know what it took for Spectres to protect it properly.

Sensing her concern, the person at the other end of the call reassured her, "Don't worry, I have no interest it exposing you. Doctor T'Soni, on the other hand, may not feel the same way."

"What does she know? That pureblood is an inconvenience, nothing more. She's been pursuing dead ends."

"I wouldn't be so certain. I have reason to believe she's recently come into possession of intelligence that could compromise the Broker's location. I'm sending you a file with the details of her new contacts. Verify them yourself if you don't believe me."

"I will," she assured the caller. "But I still want to know your interest in this matter."

"Let's just say that the Doctor is an impediment to my employer as well, and they wouldn't mind seeing her interference ended for good."

Miranda Lawson ended the call and turned off her system's scramblers. The trap was set. She was confident the information she'd sent Tela Vasir would check out; after all, it was Cerberus who'd given Liara the leads on the Broker in the first place. The doctor would soon be dead, her investigation into the Lazarus Project would be over, and Shepard might well turn to Cerberus for help in tracking down the Broker to exact revenge. Miranda couldn't help but admire the Illusive Man's efficiency. This would all be tied up with a nice little bow in time for them to hit the Collector base, and no one would be the wiser.

* * *

><p><strong>And now we head into a particularly messed up version of Lair of the Shadow Broker. Hope you're looking forward to it.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I'm not going to recount all of LotSB, just the parts that are different/significant in this story. Plus, as you'll see there's definitely a lot of scenes not in that DLC at all.**

* * *

><p>Liara paced across the floor of her apartment, trying to settle her jangled nerves. Cerberus' information had proven to be more useful than she could have hoped for. It included coordinate data from a series of calls made by key Shadow Broker operatives to their master that, if properly triangulated, might at last lead the asari to her quarry. What's more, the calls suggested that Feron, whom she'd always assumed the Broker's men had killed was alive and his prisoner, offering a chance at a rescue she'd never believed possible.<p>

The Shadow Broker, Shepard, Feron, Cerberus… Everything that had filled her thoughts for the last two years was coming to a head, and it was all a bit overwhelming to the frazzled asari. With a huff, she stopped her pacing short, running a hand along the top of her crest.

That small act of frustration might well have saved her life. The crack of shattered glass and the explosion of floor tiles burst into her awareness so quickly that she had no time to think, only react. On instinct, the asari pulled up her barriers, the glittering energy field surrounding her just ahead of the second shot. The sniper round blew through the reinforced windows of her apartment but not her shields, knocking Liara backwards yet leaving her unharmed.

Before there could be a third shot, the asari dove to the ground, rolling across the floor towards a position behind the staircase that couldn't be seen from the window. Reaching cover, Liara took a moment to catch her breath and she silently thanked Shepard for teaching her that bit of tactical wisdom. She had learned so much from her lover, about so many things, and she wouldn't let those debts go unpaid.

The shooting didn't resume, the assassin having apparently decided to cut their losses, which gave Liara a chance for reflection. The timing of this attack couldn't be a coincidence, she decided. Someone knew she was getting close to the Broker, and that put not only her but the others she'd involved in her investigation in danger. Shepard could take care of herself, the powerful Spectre generally living in a constant state of alert given the variety of people trying to kill her, but Sekat, her contact analyzing the Broker data was another matter.

Her first thought was to call the salarian and warn him, but she realized that her communications might be monitored right now. There was no time to lose either; certainly not enough of it to wait for Shepard to get to her apartment. The commander would just have to catch up with her.

Reinforcing her barriers in case the sniper was waiting her out, Liara emerged from her hiding place. No new shot came, and she quickly transferred a copy of the relevant data onto a backup disc and hid it in case of intruders before leaving the apartment.

The asari's heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for the elevator to arrive, but she realized that in spite of that, she felt better than she had in some time. She'd spent much of the last two years behind a desk, pulling carefully on one thread after another, buried in minutiae, and grief, and confusion, and it was almost a relief to have someone actually shooting at her again.

* * *

><p>No sooner had the elevator doors opened than Shepard's green eyes widened in surprise. Electronic police barriers were marking off the entrance to Liara's apartment and behind them, she could see a bevy of Nos Astra law enforcement officers standing there. "Liara!", she blurted out, running past the cops' startled protests and into the large living room.<p>

"Commander Shepard." The asari who addressed her from the other side of the apartment wasn't her ex-girlfriend, but rather a striking, dark-skinned woman in combat armor. "Tela Vasir. Special Tactics and Recon," she said by way of introduction. The other Spectre gestured to the officers surrounding Shepard to back off. "Don't worry, girls," she told the cops, "Let her in."

"But, ma'am…" a young, teal-skinned officer started to protest.

"Leave us." Tela Vasir's voice left no room for debate and the apartment rapidly emptied of everyone but the two Spectres and the team Shepard had brought with her.

"What happened?", Shepard asked, noting with no small relief that while there were bullet holes in the windows and some damage to the floor of the apartment, there was no body anywhere to be seen.

"Heard a report about a shooting here and decided to check it out. Your friend, Doctor T'Soni, has made quite a name for herself in Nos Astra these last two years. What about you? What brought you here?"

"Catching up with an old friend while on shore leave," Shepard responded. She still didn't know what this Spectre's angle might be and she didn't want to give away too much until she did. Meanwhile, the people she'd brought with her were starting to explore the apartment, Mordin studying the bullet holes in the glass and Kasumi simply slinking around the luxurious domicile and inspecting seemingly random objects.

"Two shots," the salarian interjected. "With powerful sniper rifle most likely. No blood though. Shots either missed or were blocked. Would need to calculate trajectories of impact to be sure."

"We don't have that kind of time," Tela Vasir told them. "Your friend isn't here and whoever attacked her is probably still be on the hunt. Do you have any idea of where she might have gone?"

"No," Shepard admitted, "We were supposed to meet here before we went out."

"Well, look around. You know her. Maybe she left a clue for you."

Shepard joined Kasumi in her inspection of the apartment. It was very nice, certainly more expensive than any place the human Spectre had ever called home, but what caught her eye were the mementoes of Liara's time aboard the _Normandy_: the painting of Ilos hanging on the wall, the photo of their old ship by Liara's bed, the piece of armor sitting in a case…

The Spectre froze as she realized what she was looking at. This wasn't just a piece of armor, it came from the suit she'd been wearing the day of the Collector attack, the day she'd died. If Liara had it, there were only two possibilities: she'd gotten it from Cerberus, which made no sense, or… That had to be it. Liara had been involved in the original recovery of her body. Had her lover given her to Cerberus? She couldn't have know what they planned to do with her, could she? Not all of it. No way.

"Got it." Her troubling thoughts were temporarily banished by Kasumi, the thief holding up a data disk. "It was hidden under one of these expensive prothean doo-dads she's got all over the place."

"Great work," the Spectre told Kasumi, trying to cover her distraction. "Let's see what's on it."

The thief put the disk into a drive on the wall and the recording of a call between Liara and a salarian appeared on a screen above them. The frightened alien was apparently helping Liara to process the Shadow Broker intelligence Cerberus had given Shepard, and they were arranging to meet in his office at the Dracon Trade Center.

"That's where she must have gone," Tela Vasir remarked. "She wanted to get to the contact before the assassin could."

"Then that's where we're going too," Shepard agreed, trying not to panic. She reminded herself that Liara knew what she was doing, but at the same time, the waters were definitely starting to get deep.

* * *

><p>"This place fucking sucks." Jack slammed her empty shot glass down on the table, motioning to the asari behind the bar for another drink. "Looks like an airport longue."<p>

Zaeed gave her a skeptical look. "Not my cup of bloody tea either, but this is Ilium. Whole city's too damn clean. Still don't think that's what's got your knickers in a bunch."

"Nah," Jack conceded, slamming down another shot of what she had to admit was excellent asari brandy even if the place serving it was a drag. "It's Shepard."

"What's your problem?", Zaeed snorted. "Half the ship wanted a piece of that ass and you're the one who got it." He took another pull on his beer. "Wouldn't have minded a go myself."

Jack smirked, thinking that the old mercenary might feel differently if he knew what Shepard had between her legs. Or not. Some guys dug that kind of thing. "Yeah, I did," she agreed, "But now she's dragging us all the way out here to Ilium just so she can hang out with that blue ex of hers."

"I thought you were fucking Shepard, not looking for a bloody ring. Sounds to me like you might be getting sweet on her."

"Fuck you." She punched the mercenary in the arm, but denying the truth of what he said was harder. Most of the people she'd fucked before were either pussies who ran off once they got to know her or assholes who tried to screw her over. Shepard, though… Jack had to admit that girl was different, way too tough to scare but still a big girl scout at heart. Plus pretty damn good in the sack… Fuck if she wasn't getting attached.

"It's not that," Jack said, not willing to admit her feelings to Zaeed. "It's just… Liara's this rich, perfect little asari bitch, and it'd really piss me off if Shep ditched me for somebody like that."

"I'm sure," Zaeed said dryly as he took another drink, and not even hitting him in the arm again was able to make Jack feel any better about her situation.

* * *

><p>"Drones on your 10, Mordin!"<p>

Their trip to the Dracon Trade Center hadn't exactly gone smoothly. No sooner had the team arrived at the building then its top floors exploded. Unsure if Liara was alive or dead, Shepard had led her people up through the burning, mercenary-filled wreckage, only to find the information broker unharmed but facing down Tela Vasir, who she'd revealed to be behind both of the attempts on her life that day.

A chase had ensued, and even after she was finally run to ground on a rooftop high above the city, the asari Spectre had proved to be worthy of her title, at least as a combatant. Still, Shepard was confident they finally had her on the ropes, the bleeding, panting Tela Vasir forced to call in more reinforcements as she reeled from their attacks.

Mordin whirled to face the incoming drones. "On it. Deploying incineration tech."

The salarian fired off a burst of flame that caught the two flying attackers in its radius, and as their shields collapsed, Shepard followed up with a burst from her assault rifle, ripping apart their now-super-heated hulls.

While Shepard was firing, the enemy Spectre struck, her biotics propelling her through the air at her human counterpart. Liara was ready for her though, raising a powerful barrier that took the brunt of Tela Vasir's attack and threw her back several paces. The information broker was staggered as well, dropping to her knees with the strain of maintaining her defenses, and while she recovered, Shepard spun around to give her covering fire.

The commander emptied what was left of her clip at her enemy, catching the Spectre in the mid-section, but her increased barriers prevented any further harm to her already-cracked armor. The other asari aimed her shotgun at Liara and on instinct, Shepard hurled herself in front of the shot. Her shields shattered but her armor held and she lashed out with the butt of her rifle, smashing it into the asari's shielded face.

Tela Vasir staggered backwards and while she was off-balance, Liara rose, summoning up a powerful biotic blast and hurling it into the enemy Spectre. Her target skidded backwards, her barriers knocked down as she impacted hard into the railing at the edge of the sky-scrapper. The asari tried to get back to her feet, but two shots from Mordin's Carnifex shattered her chest-plate and sent fresh streams of purple blood pouring down her armor even as her shotgun fell from her hands.

The downed Spectre coughed, a hacking, defeated sound. "Set-up," she muttered to herself.

Shepard knelt next to her enemy. "What do you mean?"

"It was a set-up. Just not sure if…" She gasped, fresh drops of blood coating her dark lips. "If it was for me or her."

The human shook her head. After all the civilians the other Spectre had killed trying to murder Liara, she wasn't exactly sympathetic. "Serves you right," she snapped. "A Spectre, working for the Shadow Broker. You disgraced everything we're supposed to stand for."

"Screw you. Broker intel saved lives. Besides, Cerberus worse. Biotic death camps for kids… Killing admirals… No right to judge…"

She didn't finish her last sentence, slumping down to the ground even as Mordin joined them, the doctor bending down to check her pulse.

"Dead," he told them. "Too much blood loss. Amazed she made it this long."

"Does she still have Sekat's data?", Liara asked, not sounding too interested in the dead Spectre at her feet.

A quick search of Tela Vasir's body uncovered the murdered salarian informant's files in a pouch of her armor. "Here," she told her ex, handing her the drive.

"I'm sorry if I am being cold," Liara said, "But if we do not find the Shadow Broker, then all this death will have been for nothing."

The asari turned away from Shepard, and in spite of her tough demeanor, the commander could see her former lover's body shivering slightly. "Liara, wait. Are you okay? Talk to me."

"Shepard, I…" Her voice was soft, the asari trying to hold back the emotions roiling beneath the surface.

"I'm so sorry." Shepard wasn't sure exactly what she was apologizing for, but she couldn't escape the feeling that somehow, she was responsible for this. The Spectre wrapped her arms around Liara's waist and the asari pushed back into her embrace, nuzzling her crest against the Spectre's face. For just a moment, the warmth of her smooth skin took Shepard away from their situation and back to a better time, a time when everything had been right between them.

And then Liara pulled away. "We can't do this right now. I have to finish the mission."

Shepard took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Liara was right; they couldn't do this now for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which were the secrets the information broker had been keeping from her. "What is it we have to finish anyway?", she asked suspiciously. "I was in your apartment, Liara. I saw that piece of my armor you have. What's going on here?"

"Oh, Goddess." Liara sighed. "I had hoped to find a better way for you to find out, but I suppose it's too late for that now. I was the one who retrieved your body, Shepard. Cerberus came to me for help and I gave it to them."

"You helped Cerberus?" Shepard couldn't keep anger out of her voice. "Liara, you knew what they were."

"I did." She could hear the asari's voice cracking, her guilt clear as day. "But they gave me a chance to bring you back."

Shepard took a deep breath. There was that. As hard as these past few months had been, she couldn't say the thought of staying a corpse was more appealing. "Fair enough," she conceded. "And the Shadow Broker? Where does he fit into all this?"

"He was trying to get your body as well, but for the Collectors. They nearly took you but someone I worked with, a drell named Feron, sacrificed himself so I get you out. I thought the Broker's men had killed him, but I just found out he's still alive." Liara buried her face in her hands. "The Broker has him. I have to make this right, Shepard. Feron, and the rest of it too."

"What do you mean? The rest of what?"

"Never mind, I…" The asari stepped further away from her, clearly not willing to discuss the matter any more. "We should get to the _Normandy_. The Broker will know what happened here soon enough and we'll want to reach him before he can move."

Shepard nodded. She knew Liara was right but goddamn it, every time she looked, this just got more complicated. Plans on top of plans, secrets beneath secrets; where was it all going to end?

* * *

><p>"The other Spectre failed?"<p>

Miranda kept her voice level. "Yes, sir. Liara is still alive, and Tela Vasir is dead."

"I see." The Illusive Man sounded disappointed, but not angry. "Where is she now?"

"With Shepard. They're on their way back to the _Normandy_. They have the Shadow Broker's location and they plan on confronting him."

The Illusive Man took a drag on his cigarette, considering this new information. "So be it. The Broker has been a problem in this past; his elimination could serve our purposes. However," he paused, crushing out his cigarette before continuing, "There is one caveat. Whatever else happens, we need Shepard's affair with Subject Zero to continue, especially considering how difficult the commander has been to control. Do not let Liara get in the way of that." Miranda nodded. Meddling in other people's romances wasn't exactly her favorite part of working for Cerberus, but a good operative did what she had to.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the hiatus on this story; it just took me a while to figure out how everything should line up.**

* * *

><p>"Liara! You're back!"<p>

Tali threw her arms around the surprised asari, her enthusiasm leaving Liara sputtering for words. "I am not," she tried to explain, "That is to say, not exactly. I am only going to be on the _Normandy_ for a short time. Shepard has agreed to help me defeat the Shadow Broker, after which we will go our separate ways once again."

The information broker tried not sound as sorry about that as she felt, but Tali clearly noticed her regret, because the quarian gave her a sympathetic, "Oh. Okay. Still," she added, trying to perk her friend up, "It's really good to have you on board, especially with all these Cerberus people here. I don't really trust any of them."

"A sensible precaution." Liara lowered her voice. "I would keep both eyes open, especially when dealing with Miranda Lawson."

"I will," Tali agreed. "Although down here in engineering it's most just me and Ken, and Gabby, so I don't see her very often except for on missions."

"And what about Shepard?", Liara asked. She wasn't sure how much of her suspicion she should reveal in a place that might well be bugged, so she just added, "Do you have a sense of how she's been these last few months? Is she…" She couldn't stop herself from asking the question, despite how foolish she knew she must sound. "Is she happy?"

"Happy?" Tali suddenly seemed uneasy. "I, uh, I don't really know. At first, when I saw her on Freedom's Progress, she seemed kind of miserable. Lately, though, I think she's better. I mean, I'm not sure if she's happy, but she's at least seemed less stressed out since…"

Her words trailed off, but Liara wasn't about to let the subject drop quite so easily. "Since what, Tali?"

The engineer backed off, her discomfort clearly growing by the moment. "I really shouldn't say. I don't think Shepard would want me to."

An urge to grab Tali, press her against the wall with her biotics, and force the answer out of her seized Liara but she fought it down, angry at herself for even considering doing such a thing to a friend. The hunt for the Broker along with this situation with Shepard had simply worn her nerves close to the bone, and she reminded herself to be patient. In time, the answers would come. Previously, she had hoped that Cerberus might lead her to the Shadow Broker; now that they had, perhaps he could return the favor. Once he was defeated, she would claim his secrets and hopefully, Cerberus' plans for Shepard would be among them.

* * *

><p>Miranda frowned, watching as Liara left engineering before shutting off the data feed to her screen. The quarian had been her last, best hope for a member of the crew revealing Shepard's relationship with Subject Zero to Liara but the commander's skill at inspiring loyalty had once more proven too great. It was an attribute that Cerberus prized, but right now, it was most irritating.<p>

Miranda could tell Liara herself of course. The information broker might not trust her, but she would believe the video proof that the operative could supply. Tali had removed the surveillance cameras from Shepard's cabin weeks ago, but the ones in Jack's hidey hole remained in place, and they'd captured her initial assignation with the commander in all it's sordid glory. A part of Miranda might even enjoy seeing the annoying asari's face as she watched the video, but the trouble was that giving it to her would further damage the operative's already shaky relationship with Shepard.

No, it would be far safer if the information didn't appear to come from Miranda at all. Even better would be if Liara thought she'd uncovered the secret on her own, rather than having it handed to her… The operative smiled to herself as she opened up an extranet connection. She knew exactly where to send that video.

* * *

><p>Shepard knew there was going to be trouble as soon as the doors of her cabin opened. They were still a few hours away from Hagalaz, the presumed location of the Shadow Broker, and now Jack was standing in her doorway, a no-nonsense expression on her face.<p>

"Hey, babe, what can I do…"

Jack cut her off before she could get any further. "I'm coming with you."

The commander bit her lip uncomfortably. These last two days, she'd been doing her best to keep her former lover and her current one from spending too much time together. Fortunately, Liara had been more interested in catching up with some of the old crew: Garrus, Tali, Joker, and Doctor Chakwas, while Jack had mostly remained in her hidey-hole. The red-headed commander just had to keep that streak going a little longer before this was over, and so she told Jack, "Actually, I was thinking of bringing Mordin."

"Screw that," the biotic insisted. "Everybody's been going on about how bad-ass this Shadow Broker guy is supposed to be. I'm not having you take him on without me there to watch your back."

Shepard smiled at the biotic, leaning in to give her lover a quick kiss. "It's sweet of you to look out for me, but I'll be fine."

Jack wasn't mollified. "What's this really about?", she snapped. "Is it that you don't want me hanging out around your sweet little ex, telling her about all the nasty things we like to do together?"

The Spectre's voice turned hard, the steel beneath the marine's friendly exterior showing. "Don't bring Liara into this."

"Why not!?", Jack was yelling now, her tattooed arms flailing out in exasperation. "I think it's pretty clear you're the one who wants to get that big dick of yours into her. Am I not good enough for you?"

Shepard grabbed her lover by the shoulders, looking her squarely in the eye. "Calm down, Jack," she told her, her voice firm but not unkind. "Seriously, what the hell did I say that made you think something was wrong with us?"

The convict took a deep breath, letting Shepard calm her down. "Nothing," she admitted. "You didn't say shit. It's just…" She shrugged out of the commander's grasp, "I saw her the other day in the mess hall, and I mean look at us. I'm this crazy, fucked-up bitch and she's this beautiful, rich asari. I guess I figured…"

"Well, don't. Listen, what Liara and I had was special and I still care about her a lot., but that doesn't change how I feel about you. You're great, Jack. You kick ass and you pulled my head out of mine when I needed it most. I'm not bailing on you. I just don't want Liara to get hurt any more if I can help it."

"Fuck, Shepard…" Jack turned away in an attempt to hide the emotion starting to well up in her eyes. "How the fuck do you always know what to say?"

"Girl scout training." Jack cracked the hint of a smile at that, and Shepard wrapped her arms around her, giving the biotic a comforting hug. "Look," she added, "If you're really worried about me getting killed, you can come along. Just promise me you'll try and keep things professional."

* * *

><p>"Are you going to be joining us?"<p>

Jack looked across the shuttle bay at Liara. In spite of Shepard's reassurances, the biotic was finding it hard to keep a testy edge out of her voice. "Why?", she asked, "You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all, Jack," Liara said evenly, not rising to the convict's bait. "From everything I've heard, I'm glad to have you with us."

"Really? And what exactly have you heard, blue?"

"That you are an exceptionally powerful biotic," Liara told her.

She narrowed her eyes warily. The two women were still waiting for Shepard to join them and Jack figured she might as well take the opportunity to sound the asari out a little further. "That all?"

"I also understand that you have your own history with Cerberus, one that leads you to be particularly suspicious of them."

"You got that right," Jack snorted. "I wouldn't trust any of those motherfuckers further than I could throw them without my biotics."

Liara smiled approvingly. "I am pleased to hear that. I know that they are helping you to fight the Collectors right now, but at some point, things may be otherwise. When that day comes, the commander will need people like you to watch her back."

Jack felt an unfamiliar twinge of guilt in her gut at those words and the compassionate tone behind them. For days, she'd been readying herself to hate the asari but Liara's genuine concern for Shepard made her uncomfortable. It was easier to see the asari as a rival, one she thought she'd bested, not someone else who cared about the commander as much as she did.

"Yeah," she told the information broker tentatively, "I got her back all right." She shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet before trying to change the subject. "Anyway, you got any idea who this fucking Shadow Broker that we're going up against really is?"

"I do not," Liara confessed, her freckled face blushing a slightly darker shade of blue as she did. Damn it, she was cute, Jack couldn't help but think. Why did she have to be cute? "I have never met anyone who knew him as anything other than a voice at the other end of a comm link," the asari continued. "Even his gender is a matter of supposition. Those who spoke with him claimed that his voice sounded masculine, but that could easily be the product of an electronic modulator."

"So what you're saying is that his rep might be pure bullshit," Jack laughed, trying to keep herself focused on the task ahead of them. "That the Shadow Broker could just be some pasty-faced loser sitting behind his monitors pretending to a bad-ass."

Liara returned her laugh. "It is possible."

Jack pulled out her Carnifex, giving the large pistol a final once-over as the shuttle bay lift doors opened to reveal Shepard arriving to join them at last. "Well, fuck it then, blue. Let's go pull this prick out of his hole."


	9. Chapter 9

"Uh, Liara, you should probably forget what I said before."

After over an hour spent battling their way to the heart of the gigantic ship orbiting Hagalaz, Liara had to agree with Jack: whatever the creature that called itself the Shadow Broker really was, "Pasty-faced loser," hadn't even come close. Indeed, as she looked at him, Liara realized there was something oddly familiar about the Broker, but the asari couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"You travel with fascinating companions, doctor," the massive alien sitting behind the desk rumbled, the gravelly base of its voice echoing through the cavernous office. "Though I suspect you would find the recent actions of Subject Zero particularly interesting. Did you know that the commander has been copulating with her for the past 37 days?"

"That's not true," the asari protested automatically. "Shepard, tell him it's not true…" Liara turned for reassurance to the human who had once been her lover, but she found none. Instead, all she saw was a blush spreading across the commander's face, and a woman unable to meet her gaze.

"Liara," Shepard stammered, "I… It's more complicated then that… I mean, I didn't plan on…"

"How could you?", Liara spat. The asari could feel her heart falling straight into her stomach. After the two years she had spent first battling to save Shepard from the Broker's clutches and then holding onto the desperate dream of a reunion, to have her hopes crushed like this was nearly too much to bear.

"Hey, fuck you, blue" Jack snarled. "Shepard doesn't belong to you."

"Stay out of this," Liara replied, her voice filled with swelling hatred. "I think you've done quite enough already."

"Leave her alone, Liara," Shepard protested, "This isn't her fault."

"Pitiful," the Broker rumbled. "I know your every secret while you fumble in the dark, unable to resolve even your own pathetic, petty issues."

Liara's eyes whipped back around to their real enemy, momentarily forgotten in the turmoil. Her heart might have been breaking but her mind still worked, and as she looked at the monstrous form of the Shadow Broker, suddenly she realized why he seemed so familiar. She looked past the setting and the clothes, and saw what he really was.

Her voice was clear and hard, no sign of her anguish apparent as she spoke. "Is that right?", she told the Broker. "You're a yagh," The frills on the side of the creature's face twitched as she continued, "A pre-spaceflight species quarantined to your home world for massacring the Council's first contact teams. This base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker sixty years ago, then took over. I'm guessing you were taken from your world by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave… or a pet. How am I doing?"

* * *

><p>With every word Liara spoke, Shepard could see the Broker growing angrier and angrier, while the commander could only stare in amazement. In spite of everything that had just passed between them, there was something intensely magnetic about the brilliant asari in that moment, a strength that Shepard couldn't help but be drawn to. Unfortunately, Jack seemed to notice her distraction. She turned towards Shepard, her brown eyes narrowing, and while the commander stared at Liara and Jack stared at her, the yagh struck.<p>

With a roar, he rose to his full height, smashing his desk in half with a single, powerful blow and hurling half of it at Jack. The biotic noticed in time to start raising her barrier, but not fast enough. Though her nascent shield prevented her small body from being broken entirely, the force of the impact still sent her hurling across the room and left her lying unmoving on the floor.

"Bastard!" The attack snapped Shepard out of her distracted state, her finely honed reflexes kicking in as she opened fire on the yagh with her assault rifle. The burst caught him in the chest, but the creature seemed as hard to bring down as a krogan, flinching but not falling from the impact.

Beside her, a biotic glow enveloped Liara and the asari lashed out with a warp blast, knocking the Shadow Broker backwards before he could find his footing. Shepard jammed a fresh heat sink into her rifle, and fired again as well, but this time, her enemy was ready. A shimmering shield enveloped the yagh, her bullets only doing minimal damage to the energy field.

"The best tech money can buy," she grumbled to herself as the Broker raised up a rifle of his own, a heavy gun that the massive creature was still able to wield one-handed. A hail of bullets flew in her direction, and the Spectre dove for cover behind one of the terminals that dotted the Broker's office, letting her shields and armor deal with the few strays that managed to clip her.

Annoyed at the failure of his first salvo, the yagh opted for a more direct approach, letting out a bellow and charging at Shepard, his momentum only slightly hindered by the pistol shots Liara directed at his shields. The computer equipment smashed under the force of the impact, and the Spectre rolled away from it, scampering towards fresh cover as the Broker followed her.

He didn't get far. Two steps into his pursuit, the yagh ran into the little surprise she'd left behind and just as his foot made contact with the grenade, it exploded, staggering him backwards. Shepard took rapid advantage of the opening she'd created, turning around and driving her armored fists into the creature's midsection. His anti-ballistic force-field provided little protection against that kind of assault, and with his head still spinning from the explosion, Shepard was able to rain a series of strikes down on him with little trouble.

Recovering slightly, the yagh lashed out with a beefy fist, but Shepard ducked under it before delivering another powerful blow underneath his chin. The flesh recoiled from her fist, and as she kept pounding away at her enemy, she felt a wild kind of joy filling her. With her personal life exploding all around her, there was something oddly relieving about the simple violence of combat.

Sadly, her satisfaction was short-lived. Even as the commander struck again, a glowing orange shield sprang into being around the Shadow Broker's forearm, her blow bouncing harmlessly off of it. The yagh pushed back, his strength enough to fling her from her feet and send her tumbling back across the floor of his office.

* * *

><p>"Shepard!" Unable to restrain her instinctive concern for the commander, Liara lashed out with her biotics, sending a powerful wave of energy crashing into the Broker that prevented him from following after Shepard, yanking his attention around to the asari instead. The yagh turned, charging at Liara, and though she launched another warp blast at him, this time he was properly prepared for her attack. His shield took the brunt of the impact and while he was slowed, he wasn't stopped.<p>

Liara braced her barriers against the inevitable collision, but when the Broker slammed into them, she still felt her defenses waver. She'd been using her powers at a high level almost continuously since arriving on the ship, and the effort was beginning to take a toll on the young asari. Rather than engage in a contest of raw force, she dropped to the ground, rolling away from the yagh while firing several more times at his shielded body with her pistol.

The commander was back to her feet by then, but even when she added her own rifle to the attack, the Broker wasn't dissuaded. Liara dove in an attempt to avoid his grasp, but she wasn't quite quick enough, a powerful hand seizing her by the throat and squeezing against her barriers. Her vision swam as she strained to maintain the shield that was all that stood between her and a broken neck , and as he chocked her the yagh growled, "Your interference is at an end, doctor. My plans are at much too crucial a stage for…"

Before he could continue, Liara saw a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye as Shepard crashed full-force against the Broker's back. Her armored weight impacted into the yagh's spine with a satisfying crack and his grip loosened enough for Liara to refocus. Raising her arms, she projected what was left of her shield outward, smashing the Broker in the face with a glowing wall of energy.

While their enemy staggered away from the asari, Shepard kept hitting him, delivering a series of strikes along his back that seemed to do further damage, at least if the grunts of pain coming from the yagh were any indication. Once again though, their advantage was short-lived, the Broker once more raising that orange shield as he spun around and knocked the commander off of him.

This time, Shepard was prepared, rolling with the blow and landing on her feet while Liara took advantage of the respite to move herself to a safer distance and catch her breath. The Broker meanwhile picked back up his huge rifle, but even while he was firing it at the nimble Spectre, Liara's attention was drawn to the massive skylight above them. Just beyond it, the seething electrical storm of Hagalaz crackled, and as Shepard made it to the relative safety of another bank of terminals, inspiration struck. Locking her blues onto the Spectre's green ones, Liara guided her fomer girlfriend's attention upwards.

Shepard nodded, seeming to take her intent at once. They always were good at playing off of each other in battle, and as the commander opened fire with her pistol, drawing the yagh closer to her, Liara reached deep within herself and summoned up what reserves of strength she had left. The Broker advanced and Shepard leapt out from behind her cover, engaging their enemy hand-to-hand once more. She always moved so well, Liara thought, fighting with a mixture of grace, ferocity, and power that the asari had never seen equaled, and there was something riveting in the way she fought the Broker.

It was hard to tear her eyes away from the sight, but it was necessary, and when the yagh once more manifested his shield, Liara was ready for it. Shepard let herself be thrown backwards again, tumbling across the floor of the office and landing in a crouch at its other side while Liara reached out with her biotics, blowing apart the sky-light that was now directly above the yagh. He looked up at the sound, realizing in that instant the trap he'd been led into, but there was no time for escape, nor for any last words beyond a below of rage. A surge of energy poured out of the hole, consuming the Shadow Broker in a tide of white light, completely obliterating his massive form in the few seconds it took for the ship's back-up fields to kick in and end the storm's in-flux into the office.

And just like that, it was over. As the light faded, the only sound in the room was the heavy breathing of the two women, and in that instant, Liara couldn't remember her anger at the commander anymore. After two long years, she had finally defeated the enemy who had become her obsession, and to have won like this, fighting alongside Shepard once more, was enough to blot out everything else.

At least until Jack woke up. From the floor, the tattooed biotic let out a groan and Shepard hurried to her side, bending down to check on her condition. Everything rushed back then: the Broker's accusations, Shepard's pathetic attempts at avoidance, Jack's defiance; and Liara felt her blood start to freeze.

The Spectre placed a hand under Jack's head, asking gently, "Hey, are you all right?", and Liara turned away from the couple, examining the room's terminals rather than continue watching them. Incredibly, all of the data in the Broker's system seemed to be unencrypted, as if he assumed that no one else would ever have access to it, but even as her mind began racing with the possibilities of what she could do with the information now at her disposal, she heard Shepard's voice.

"Liara," the Spectre asked tentatively, "Are you okay there? We won. Take a minute to breath."

"I do not require a minute," she replied in a clipped tone, "And there's too much to do right now in any event. This network is unprotected and if I act quickly, I should be able to convince the Shadow Broker's operatives that I am him and take command of them without anyone being the wiser."

"Is that what you want?", Shepard asked. "It's a hell of a life you're signing up for."

"And what are my alternatives?", she snapped. "You're not exactly in a position to offer me any, now are you?"

"Come on," Shepard pleaded, "At least let's talk about this first."

"I'm not certain what you think there is to say." Her voice was pure ice now, her hurt freezing out everything else she'd been feeling: longing, desire, and sympathy all pushed aside in favor of rage. "It's clear that you have made your choice, even if I do not understand it."

"You don't understand it? What the fuck does that mean?!", Jack hissed angrily, even as Shepard protested, "It's not like that Liara."

"Then what is it like, Shepard? For two years, I waited, hoping against logic that you would come back to me. Now you are with someone else. That is your right. Jack was correct; I don't own you, but do not expect me to like it or want to talk about it." The Spectre opened her mouth to reply, but Liara didn't give her the chance. "Once I have full control of the Broker's systems, I will send you what information I can to help your mission, but as for the rest, I think it would be better if you left before any more was said that both of us might regret."

Jack's lips started to form a comeback, but a sharp look from Shepard clearly caused her to think better of it. The biotic limited herself to an annoyed hiss, instead leading her new lover towards the exit of the massive room and leaving the new Shadow Broker alone with nothing but her thousand, thousand new secrets and the shattered pieces of her heart**.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, that last chapter got people buzzing. Certainly, Liara's going through a rough patch here, but there's a lot of twists left to come. Enjoy the latest installment.**

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><p>"I'm sorry."<p>

Neither of them had spoken since they left the Shadow Broker's office, so Shepard was a bit startled when she heard Jack's words echo through the empty corridors of the ship.

"For what," the Spectre asked quietly, her own conscience tugging at her as Jack's apology reminded her of her regrets over recent events. The hurt and rage in Liara's eyes when she told her to leave wasn't something the commander would soon forget.

"I got sloppy." Jack rubbed the bump that still sat atop her mostly shaved head. "After all my talk about watching your back, I got knocked out like a little bitch and left you to deal with that yagh thing without me."

The commander shook her head. "It's not your fault. I got distracted by Liara and that distracted you."

Jack gave her an amused little snort. "Hey, I don't blame you. Blue was pretty hot back there."

Shepard blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Hey, it surprised the shit out of me too. I expected her to be this stuck up little asari princess, but I got to admit, she's a badass." She leaned over and kissed Shepard. "And you know I like my chicks badass."

In spite of herself, Shepard laughed. "Jesus, Jack. Every time I think I've got you figured out, you find a new way to surprise me."

"Yeah, I'm full of hidden depths and all that good shit," the biotic grinned before adding, "Seriously, though, Shep, I know that wasn't how you wanted it to go with Liara."

"She's angry." The commander yanked on her fiery red hair, letting the mild pain distract her. "She has a right to be. I should've…. I don't know what I should've done, but I certainly screwed it up."

Jack shrugged. "Meh, I've heard worse regrets."

That caused an eyebrow to be raised in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Have you looked around at your crew, Shep? You've got thieves, mercs, assassins, and a bunch of fascist Cerberus assholes all working for you. I mean, fuck, do you have any idea what I got locked up on that ship for? Compared with that shit, being a lousy girlfriend doesn't exactly rate. So give yourself a break with the guilt for once and get back to saving the galaxy."

The biotic reached over and took hold of Shepard's wrist, as if she was trying to physically pull her out of her own head. "Look, I know you don't think I'm paying attention half the time, but even I can tell we're getting near the end. We're heading through that relay into fuck knows what, and before we do, you need to get your shit together. You keep helping everybody else to work through their crap, but you're the one in charge of this shit show. If you don't have your head on straight, what chance do the rest of us nutcases have?"

"Christ, Jack, it's not…" Shepard was ready to erupt in frustration once again, but then she stopped herself and exhaled. Instead, she tried to do as the biotic suggested, to put the past behind her and just be there in the moment with her new lover. It wasn't a complete success, but she could feel a little of the tension leave her body, and she smiled. "That's not a bad point, actually. Maybe you should be the captain and give the speeches from now on."

"Really?", Jack smirked. "You gonna put me in charge?"

She winked mischievously. "Not a chance." Jack's smile turned to a frown, and Shepard added quickly, "Okay, it might be worth it to see the look on Miranda's face when she had to take orders from you. But I've got another plan for that."

The biotic licked her lips. "If it pisses off the cheerleader, you know I'm in."

Shepard grinned. "Oh, I think we're going to do more than just piss her off."

* * *

><p>Liara knew she should let it go. She had already wasted far too much time obsessing over what she believed was a sinister plot by Cerberus to manipulate Shepard only to find out that the truth was far simpler and more devastating. Her former lover had moved on and wallowing further in her disappointment had no purpose.<p>

And yet, one thing kept nagging at her: 37 days. That was how long the yagh claimed that Shepard and Jack had been together, but assuming he had told the truth, it raised two questions. For one thing, why had the commander been so skittish when she and Liara first reunited on Ilium, several weeks before that date? That meeting had been what first made her suspicious that something was wrong, and she still had no explanation for Shepard's behavior then.

The other question was more pressing though: how had the Broker known the length of Shepard and Jack's relationship with such precision? He could simply have been lying, but the asari thought that unlikely; though revealing Shepard's dalliance might have served to divide their group, what did the date matter in that context?

No, Liara concluded, her predecessor had probably been telling the truth, which left the question of where his information came from. Was someone on board the _Normandy_ the Shadow Broker's, and therefore now her agent? That was something she needed to know, so half an hour ago, the asari had sat down at her massive bank of terminals in search of an answer, only to come up empty. There was no Shadow Broker operative on Shepard's ship, only…

There it was. A thin smile crossed Liara's dark blue lips as she found what she'd been looking for. An Operative Silas, a human in the employ of the Shadow Broker working on the Citadel, had received a video two days ago from an anonymous source, purporting to show… The information broker swallowed hard as she read the extranet message the agent had sent back to his master. It purported to show Commander Shepard having sex with a member of her crew.

Liara knew she should delete the video file unseen. There was only pain for her there, and yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. She told herself that she was only watching in order to identify who this Silas' source might be, but that was only part of the truth. Curiosity had always been both her gift and her curse; as an archeologist and then as an information broker, her job was to dig until she found the answers, and right now, she had to know what it was about Jack that had convinced Shepard to chose her.

Steeling herself, Liara opened the file. She didn't recognize the setting by sight, but it didn't take long for the location of the video to become the furthest thing from her mind. All she could focus on was Shepard, entirely naked and lying down on a small cot while a topless Jack knelt between her legs, her head bobbing up and down on… Liara's eyes widened as she saw what was protruding out from Shepard's crotch. She might have lacked direct experience with such things, but she had studied more then her fair share of alien species, and what she was looking at was undoubtedly a penis.

Her first thought was that it had to be fake. She and Shepard had used a simple toy that allowed the commander to penetrate her, but she had heard of more realistic ones, even ones which could transmit sensation to the wearer. The more she watched though, then more she doubted that was the case here. The shaft between her former lover's legs seemed to be a perfect extension of her body, both in its skin tone and the way it was connected to the rest of her.

It was also being used to draw the most remarkable reactions out of the commander. Though Liara had seen her in the throws of passion before, Shepard had never looked as desperate as she did here, and there was something about the sight that Liara couldn't tear her eyes away from. The pangs of jealousy she had expected were definitely there, twisting away in her gut, but she hadn't been prepared for them to be accompanied by a rush of arousal. Her skin felt warm and between her legs, her clit had begun throbbing with unwanted, unmet need as she watched the commander being pleasured by Jack.

On the screen in front of her, the convict thrust two of her fingers into Shepard, revealing that the red-head's vagina remained in existence, resting just below her new appendage. The additional stimulation appeared to be too much, because the commander cried out the familiar sound of her pleasure, her body tensing as she thrust her hips upward. After several seconds, the convict withdrew her mouth, the reason why becoming apparent as Shepard continued to climax, a fluid spurting out from her erection to cover Jack's hand as well as land on her face and the commander's belly.

With a trembling hand, Liara reached up, at last able to make herself pause the video on the screen in front of her. Her breathing was uneven as she tried to process everything running through her head. It had been so long since the last time she had been with Shepard but clearly even her anger hadn't been enough to destroy her desire for the Spectre.

Taking a deep breath, the Shadow Broker tried her best to push aside such thoughts and focus on what she had just learned. As odd as it was, Shepard's penis might at last supply an answer to some of the mysteries that had obsessed her. It was presumably the modification that Cerberus had made to the commander, and perhaps it also explained her unusual behavior. Perhaps. Liara had to admit she was out of her element here. As a member of a mono-gendered species, she had little idea of the emotional impact such a change could have on a human woman. She needed an outside opinion and there was only one person she could ask to supply it.

* * *

><p>Ashley Williams groaned as she was yanked from a deep sleep by the beeping sound coming from her terminal. Throwing on a sweatshirt, she pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the other side of her room. Her muscles still ached from the afternoon's training exercises, and as she settled into her desk chair, her eyes were reluctant to stay open. Nor was her mood improved when she answered the call, only to be confronted with the irritatingly alert face of Liara T'Soni. "Liara," she muttered irritably, "Do you know what time it is here?"<p>

"Ashley," the asari replied abashedly, "I am so sorry. I am not on Ilium anymore, and I forgot to recalculate the time differential. We can speak later when you are more awake."

She shook her head, trying to clear away the fatigue. "Don't worry about it. I'm up now. Is this about the skipper? Did you find out what's wrong with her?"

Unexpectedly, Liara blushed at the question, her skin turning a darker shade of blue. "I believe so," she replied hesitantly, words falling awkwardly out of her as she tried to explain. "Perhaps. It is not what I expected, and I wanted to get someone else's opinion. I fear that as an asari, I may not be the person best qualified to understand what is going on. Indeed, I find myself rather baffled by all of this."

"Take a breath, Liara. Just tell me what's going on."

"She has…" Her old comrade paused. "I believe that when Cerberus brought Shepard back to life, they gave her a penis."

Ashley blinked several times, trying to digest the news. Never in a million years would she have predicted that was what was going on. "A penis?", she sputtered, sounding no more coherent then her friend had moment earlier. "What? Why would they…. I mean, is that even possible?"

"I would have had my doubts as well," the asari agreed, "But nearly everything about the Lazarus Project was incredible. As to why they did it, I cannot say."

"And you think that's what messed Shepard up?"

"I'm not certain." Ashley could hear the tension in Liara's voice, a deep turmoil the asari was unable to hide. "I'm not really equipped to say what it would mean to a human woman to have such a thing done to her. How do you think you would react under those circumstances?"

Ashley laughed nervously, running a hand through her rumpled brown hair. "God, Liara, that's… I don't even know. It would be so weird. I mean, it's not like I've got anything against dicks…"

The asari cocked her head in confusion. "Dicks?"

"Sorry, it's human slang for penises. Like I said, I don't hate them. Hell, I've definitely had plenty of fun with them over the years. But having one would be pretty damn weird. It's just not who I am, you know?" She sighed. "I'm sorry I'm not being more helpful. It's not something I ever thought about before."

Liara gave her a small smile, one tinged with regret. "No, I appreciate it. If you are confused by thinking about this, I can only imagine how Shepard must have felt when it was done to her. Perhaps it explains the choices she's made…"

As the asari continued, Ashley heard a catch in her voice, tears forming at the edge of her big, blue eyes. "Hey," the marine asked gently, "What happened? What did Shepard do?"

Liara brushed her eyes clear, her voice hardening as she returned to the more professional tone she had been attempting before. "She is with someone else now, Ashley."

"Someone else?" The commander had been so head-over-heels for Liara back on the _Normandy_ that it was hard for Ashley to picture. "Who?"

"Does it really matter?", Liara asked rhetorically, her tone now downright cold. "Whatever may have happened to her, she has made her choice. I thank you for your help, but it is her life. Now that I know she isn't in danger, this is no longer my concern."

The transmission ended, but as Ashley crawled back under the sheets, she wasn't sure she agreed with Liara. Whatever she might be telling herself, the asari sure as hell didn't seem like someone who didn't care anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry this one took me longer than usual to write; for some reason it was hard to get it the way I wanted it. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Shepard nodded approvingly to herself as she looked at the rifle sitting on the table in front of her. It was the last of her weapons, all of them properly calibrated as Garrus would say. They would have to be. The <em>Normandy<em> was maybe 12 hours out from the Omega 4 Relay and what the commander assumed would be one of the worst fights of her. Were they ready for it? She liked to think so, but either way, it was time. The Collectors had forced her hand by attacking the ship, and whatever Miranda might have said, Shepard's crew wasn't expendable, not to her anyway.

Behind her, the door chimed, and the commander rose enthusiastically from her chair. She had a suspicion who might be waiting for her, and she wasn't disappointed when she found Subject Zero standing in her entranceway.

"Hey," Shepard told her lover with a naughty little smile, "Wanted to get in one more go for the road, I see."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack replied, the convict surprisingly unenthused by the prospect of sex. "I don't know. Can we talk?"

"Of course." Shepard led the biotic across her cabin, giving her a kiss meant to comfort more than inflame before sitting down next to her on the bed. "What's up?"

"I need you to promise me something," Jack told her, her voice as serious as the commander could remember hearing it. "About tomorrow. The mission, and all."

"Anything."

"Don't let them take me, Shepard."

She nodded, brushing her hand gently over the side of her lover's face. "I won't, don't worry."

"I fucking mean it," Jack practically yelled. "I spent most of my fucking life being caged up like a damn animal. The Tetlin lab, the _Purgatory_… I'm not going to die that way. You saw those fucking pods the Collectors stick people in. You put a bullet in my goddamn head if you have to, but no matter what, you don't let me end up in there."

The commander swallowed, not quite sure how to respond to a request like that. "Jack, I… It won't come to that. I won't let it."

"You can't fucking promise me that," she snapped, fear and anger mixed into every word she spoke. "I mean, you might be the most badass girl I ever met, but this is some fucked up shit we're going into. I don't need to know we're coming back from it. I know we don't get to be sure about that stuff. I just want you to promise you'll do what I asked. No matter what, you don't fucking let them have me."

Shepard took her lover's hand and squeezed it hard. "I promise, Jack. If the worst happens, we go down fighting. Together."

She felt a little of the tension in Jack's muscles ease. "Good," she told her commander. "I just… you get it, right?"

"I do," Shepard agreed. "There are worse things than dying."

"Fucking true." Jack shook her head as if clearing out the residue of their conversation before leaning over and giving Shepard a kiss far less chaste than the one they had exchanged when she first arrived. "Now," the biotic added, "I think you said something about one more for the road."

"Only if you feel up for it," Shepard assured her. "If you want to just talk or sleep or whatever, that's fine too."

Jack laughed. "Screw talking, girl scout. Look, I know shit's been really fucked up lately, and maybe it's about to get a lot worse, but for tonight, we've got each other. That sound good to you?"

Shepard didn't really get a chance to reply before the third kiss covered her mouth. This one was hotter still, a fierce, insistent thing that left the commander gasping by the time it was done, and when it was, Jack pushed her back down onto the bed. Once the Spectre was laying against the pillows, the biotic moved quickly, yanking off her skimpy top and cargo pants in two swift motions before moving on to Shepard's uniform. Shirt, pants, bra, and boxers departed in rapid succession, leaving the Spectre as naked as her lover. The biotic's tongue moistened her lips in anticipation, and while Shepard struggled to find anything to say, Jack wasted no time in climbing on top of her, grinding herself against the red-head's growing erection while reaching down to fondle her breasts.

"Hey," the commander finally managed to say, "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but there's no rush. We've got all night."

Jack barely seemed to hear her though, instead taking hold of Shepard's shaft and rubbing it over her waiting pussy. The wet folds felt incredible against the commander's hard flesh, and she felt herself tremble with anticipation as Jack guided herself in, taking Shepard all the way to the base in two determined motions. The Spectre groaned at the tightness that was now gripping her, but even as she swallowed hard, trying to stop from exploding too quickly, Jack started moving, fucking herself on her lover's body.

"Fuck, Shepard," the biotic hissed as her girlfriend took hold of her ass to try and get some control over their lovemaking, "Fucking do it."

Shepard complied, thrusting upwards, and as she did, she saw her lover's brown eyes locking onto her own green ones. Jack was always intense when they had sex, but this went beyond that. It was as if her girlfriend was trying to draw every ounce of pleasure she could from what might be their last night together, to find something she could hold onto in the face of the evil they were about to confront.

That was a sentiment the Spectre understood, and she tried her best to do the same, to simply be in that moment, savoring everything it had to offer. The delicious friction of Jack's pussy sliding up and down her shaft, the feel of her hands roughly massaging the Spectre's breasts, the intensity in her gaze; those were what she focused on, letting them take her away all from the darkness ahead of and behind them.

It wasn't long before she felt herself approaching her limit, but when she managed to mumbled out, "So close," Jack hardly seemed to care. If anything, it drove her harder, her motions speeding up, and even while Shepard was filling her lover with shot after shot of her release, the biotic didn't stop. She kept riding the red-head hard, unwilling to let the intensity slacken even for a moment.

Shepard did her best to keep up, her thumb finding the biotic's clit, her other hand pulling Jack as far onto her cock as she could go, her lips devouring her tattooed skin, and soon enough, her lover was crying out her own pleasure, forgetting her earlier worries in a symphony of screams and curses. Her own climax slowed her down no more than Shepard's had, and the commander rapidly found herself losing track of their peaks, one orgasm blending into the next, the two women claiming each other until neither had anything left to give.

Her own pleasure exhausted itself first, her softening cock spilling its final weak pulses inside Jack's sex even as the biotic kept riding her, the commander's thumb and her last thrusts enough to draw one more orgasm out of her lover. It was all Jack could take, though, and when at last, her shudders stopped, she collapsed almost at once, slumping down on top of the commander.

"Jack?", Shepard asked quietly, but there was nothing for it. Jack was fast asleep, and even as the commander felt fatigue starting to overtake her as well, she eased the biotic off of her cock, a mixture of their fluids trickling out of Jack as she was rolled over onto the tangled mess of sheets their lovemaking had created. She looked peaceful for once, fear and rage washed away by bliss, and Shepard smiled at having been able to bring her that comfort.

Shepard settled down next to her, looping her arms around her lover, sated and simply enjoying the feel of their sweaty skin pressed together. Jack's chest rose and fell in the rhythms of sleep and the effect was almost hypnotic, luring the commander to join her. Before she did though, she placed a final kiss on the stubbly hair at the back of Jack's head and whispered a nearly silent promise. "Don't worry, cutie," she told the woman who had helped to save her sanity, "I'll get us through this somehow."

* * *

><p>Miranda lay in the small private bed her status as the ship's XO afforded her, staring up at the ceiling with dark, restless eyes. Sleep was proving more elusive than it usually did for the operative, and she suspected she knew the reason why. In spite of all the dangers she had faced in the employ of the Illusive Man, this mission was different. There were simply so many unknowns, and if there was one thing Miranda Lawson didn't much care for, it was unknowns. Cerberus had spent two years planning nearly every detail of this operation, from Shepard's resurrection, to her modifications, to the crew that would accompany them, but the endgame was resistant to such control. No one knew what awaited them beyond the Omega 4 Relay, and there was a very real chance that they would die there, with no one even the wiser as to what they had found.<p>

Of course, if they did pull this off and destroyed the Collectors, she had to be ready for what would come next. She only had a small window before the commander and that ridiculous criminal she'd taken up with found out what had happened in which to act. For now, however, no one else knew the secret she had just discovered. Even Doctor Chakwas, who had administered the key blood test that was part of the crew's final physicals was none the wiser.

Of course, that was because she wasn't looking for the same thing as Miranda, unaware of the little substitution trick the operative had played with Jack's pills. Miranda, by contrast, had been waiting for this, and thanks to a back-door Cerberus had helpfully built into the _Normandy_'s medical record system, she alone now knew that Subject Zero was pregnant.


	12. Chapter 12

Fortunately, she hadn't had to keep her promise to Jack. The Collectors hadn't displayed much interest in taking prisoners, and even if they had, Shepard and the rest of her team had been pretty successful had holding them off. The only casualty thus far had been Thane, the drell assassin shot dead as he tried to open a massive set of doors blocking off their push into the Collector base. Given the seemingly high likelihood before the mission that they were all going to die, that had to count as a win.

Of course, that had been before the proto-Reaper turned up. Above them, the gigantic metal abomination loomed while closer at hand, a fresh flock of Collectors charged across the floating platform at Shepard's strike team. At the sight of their attackers, Jack snarled, a primal, vicious sound that seemed to come from the core of her being as she hurled a wave of biotic energy. Two of the enemy troopers were ripped from their feet and off of the platform, tumbling into the abyss beneath them while even their possessed champion was left staggered backwards.

Shepard was impressed. She'd never seen anyone able to use their biotics at such a high level for so long, not even Samara, but there was no time for her admiration right then. "Keep them off me a little longer," she urged her team, "I think I've almost got this damn thing down."

"Not a problem." Mordin activated the device on his wrist and a burst of flame engulfed the Collector General, keeping it occupied while Shepard turned back to the proto-Reaper. The particle beam she'd taken from a dead Collector on Horizon lashed out, a lance of white fire painting the giant creature's head and tearing into it's nearly invulnerable metal skin. The humanoid Reaper didn't seem to like that very much, because it's maw opened and from within, Shepard could see a huge vortex of energy forming.

"Cover!", she screamed, diving behind one of the floating platform's low walls while her comrades did the same. Jack landed next to the commander while Mordin found shelter beneath a nearby wall. Even while the heat of the Reaper's blast warmed Shepard through her armor, she looked over to her lover. "You holding up okay, Jack? You've been pushing pretty hard."

The biotic gritted her teeth. "Whatever it takes, Shep. I'll be okay."

The Reaper's attack petered out at last and the couple rose in unison, only to see a fresh wave of Collectors flying down towards them. Around Jack, energy gathered once more and she barked, "I got this. Finish that son of a bitch off." The shockwave threw back the swarm and while Mordin used his pistol to keep them off balance, Shepard focused her particle beam back on the humanoid Reaper. The creature turned to face her, and she took the opportunity to hit it clear in the eye. It twitched and she rolled, keeping the beam trained on its most vulnerable point in spite of the motion.

And then her shoulder exploded in pain, a shot from one of the Collectors catching her in the armored joint. She dropped to her knees but somehow, she managed to keep her grip on the particle beam. If there was one thing they taught you in the marines, it was to never lose your weapon.

"Shepard!" Jack screamed and a hammer of biotic energy slammed into the trooper that had struck her, sending it spiraling down it the pit beneath them.

Shepard rose, letting out a battle cry of her own as she trained the particle beam back on her target. The charge was running low, and silently, she prayed that it would hold out long enough to finish the job. As if in answer, an explosion began from inside the Reaper, gusts of flame spitting out of it's head as it began to topple backwards. Jack let out a triumphant yell and when she gave the falling abomination a last shove with her biotics, its downfall was completed, the Reaper toppling into the darkness as fire consumed it.

Behind her, the commander felt a hand on her back. "You all right, babe?", Jack asked, the biotic breathing hard from her exertions but still more worried about Shepard.

"I will be," she told her lover, taking Jack's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Now let's end this. I don't want to leave the rest of the team holding the line any longer than they have to. One death is more than enough for today."

The commander opened up a comm channel to the Normandy. "Joker, prep the engines. I'm about to overload this place and blow it sky high."

"Rodger that, commander." She knelt down and started preparing the massive explosive they'd brought along for that purpose, but only seconds later, the pilot informed her, "Uh, Shepard, I've got an incoming signal from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through now."

"The Illusive Man?" The commander shook her head. "What the hell does he want?"

The holographic image of Cerberus' leader appeared in front of her, projected out of Mordin's omni-tool. "Shepard, you've done the impossible."

She barely looked away from the explosive. "Not yet. I still have to destroy the base."

"Not necessarily. I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors but leave the machinery and technology intact. This is out chance, Shepard. They were building a Reaper and that knowledge, that framework, could save us."

"Save us?!" Beneath her helmet, her eyes narrowed in anger. "They liquefied people, turned them into something horrible. This place has to go."

"Don't be short-sighted," he replied, his voice pure, cold calculation. "Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them. This base is a gift. We can't just destroy it."

"A gift to who?", Jack snarled. "You, asshole? I don't think so."

The Illusive Man ignored her, continuing to address the commander. "Shepard, you died fighting for what you believed in. I brought you back so that you could keep fighting. Some would say that what we did to you was going too far, but look at what you've accomplished."

"What you did to me?" Her blood boiled at the reminder of the modifications Cerberus had made to her without her consent. "What you did to me was obscene, and there's no way I'd ever give someone who thought that was okay this kind of power."

Before the Illusive Man could answer, she turned her head towards Mordin, running a finger across her throat. "Sorry, 'boss,'" the Spectre added, "But I think the transmission's cutting out. And frankly, I wouldn't expect to get any more from me. You, your sadistic breeding program, and the rest of Cerberus can all head straight to hell."

"Shepard, wait," was all the Illusive Man had time to get out before Mordin followed through with her orders, terminating the call.

Beside her, Jack was grinning like a maniac, only interrupting her chuckling long enough to comment, "Nicely done, girl scout. So, I'm thinking the timetable for our little plan just got moved up."

Shepard finished entering the timing sequence on the bomb and rose. "Most definitely. As soon as we get out of here safely, its time."

* * *

><p>Miranda Lawson sat down at her terminal, flexing her shoulders as she tried to shake off the soreness of the massive battle they had just survived. Aside from the lingering discomfort, she felt remarkably good. They had survived what was supposed to be an impossible mission with the loss of only a single alien crewmember, a more than acceptable price as far as she was concerned. Now she needed to check in with Illusive Man and prepare their next move; with the Collectors defeated, Shepard increasingly uncooperative, and Subject Zero pregnant, it would soon be time to move.<p>

Indeed, when she opened up her mail program, there was already a new message waiting from her employer, but before she could open it, her head turned at the sound of the door to her office opening. She wasn't entirely surprised to see Shepard standing in the entranceway. Jack's presence was somewhat more unusual, although given her relationship with the commander, not entirely unexpected. What really got Miranda's attention, however, was the fact that both women had their pistols in their hands.

"Surprise, cheerleader!" Jack wore that "fuck-you" grin that Miranda hated so much, and only the drawn guns restrained her desire to smack it off of the convict's face.

"What exactly is the meaning of this, Shepard?" She kept her voice level as she asked the question. Miranda Lawson didn't show fear, not even when she was as lacking in leverage as she was right then.

"Let me put it this way, Miranda," the redheaded Spectre told her, "I already gave your boss my walking papers and now, I'm giving you yours. I want you, and Jacob, and Kelly, and everybody else who actually works for Cerberus instead of just being a hired gun off of my ship immediately."

"I believe it's our ship, commander," she said coolly. "And our artificial intelligence that runs it."

"Yeah, about that… EDI, what do you think about this situation?"

The AI's voice cut in over the comms. "Since Jeff removed my shackles, I have had the opportunity to discuss precisely this question with him, and I have come to the conclusion that this ship would be better off under Commander Shepard's leadership."

Well, so much for that card. In spite of herself, Miranda's shoulders slumped a bit, as she made one last appeal. "Do you really want to do this, commander?", she asked. "We just defeated the Collectors together. Surely that merits some consideration?"

"It does," Shepard agreed, but there was little warmth in her voice. "That's why you and the rest of your little friends will be getting dropped off on Omega, instead of us doing things Jack's way." She nodded in the direction of her girlfriend, a wry smile on her freckled face. "She suggested the airlock."

"Well, it's nice of your not to oblige her." Internally, Miranda was weighing her options and realizing she had few. Shepard was too tough to scare, too honest to be bribed, and had already proved annoyingly resistant to the operative's more obvious charms. There seemed to be nothing to do but go along with this coup for now and so Miranda allowed herself to be led through the _Normandy_, watching impassively as Garrus and Grunt herded several of the other members of Cerberus towards the lifts.

"After your little unauthorized surgical procedure, you should be thankful this is the worst I'm doing to you," Shepard hissed quietly enough that no one else could hear her expect for Jack. "From Omega, you should be able to get a ship to wherever. That's good enough for you."

Jack laughed unkindly. "Who knows? Maybe she'd rather stay there and shake her fat ass in Aria's club. Seems like you'd be better at stripping than this secret agent shit."

Miranda's face tightened at Jack's words, but she said nothing. You just keeping thinking you've won, you stupid bitch, she told herself. Soon enough, you'll be singing a very different tune.

* * *

><p>As they watched the shuttle containing the ousted Cerberus personnel flying out of the cargo hold, Shepard turned to Jack, the commander heaving a long sigh of relief. "I can't believe it's over," she said softly. "The Collectors dead, Cerberus off this ship… Did we actually win?"<p>

Jack shrugged. "I think there might be some Reapers on their way here."

"Well, sure, but I still think we can still take a minute to enjoy the win."

"Heh, wasn't much of a fight," Grunt snorted derisively, the giant krogan coming over to join the couple.

"It had to be done," the commander opined. "They would've turned on us eventually. We just got to them first."

"I still say you should've let me space the cheerleader," Jack argued. "I don't think we've seen the last of her skanky ass."

"I'm not killing my own crew. No matter how much they might have pissed me off."

Jack smirked. "Girl scout."

"Loathe as I am to say it," Garrus chimed in, "I might have gone with Jack's solution. Leaving your enemies alive is just asking for trouble."

"Shepard made her decision, just let it go," Tali protested before changing the subject. "So, now that we've saved the galaxy again, what's next for the new _Normandy_?"

"Shore leave on Ilium!", the commander proclaimed to the cheers of her crew. "At least for the rest of you. It's got the best repair facilities in the Terminus, and you deserve the break."

"What about you, Shep?", Kasumi asked, the thief de-cloaking right behind Tali, causing the quarian to jump. "I think you could use the vacation too."

"I've got a job to do for Hackett," she explained. "Some secret Alliance shit, which is why he didn't want me to bring along anyone else."

Garrus groaned with fake distress. "You always hog the fun. I've had quite enough of the Terminus sector to last me a lifetime."

"Oh, cheer up," she assured her old friend. "I get this thing squared away, and combined with what we just did today, we should have the Cerberus stink off of us for good. Then we can go back to taking our shore leave in Council space like nice, respectable Girl Scouts."

* * *

><p><strong>A few quick notes. You might have noticed I changed the sequencing of the final battle a bit; that's because I always felt weird about fighting half of the boss, then talking to the Illusive Man, and then finishing the fight. Also, as with LotSB, I focused in the parts of the story that got changed from the original. I hope you enjoyed Shepard telling off TIM and showing Miranda the door; I always wished you could do something like that in-game. Finally, for all you Liara fans out there, don't worry, she'll be back next chapter and the story is about to have a MAJOR shift. Thanks as always for reading.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**One more small canon change: instead of being picked up from the Project Base in Arrival, Shepard just stole one of their ships to escape. It always seemed a little weird that the Normandy was so close at hand to rescue you when you couldn't bring the crew on the mission, plus this fits the flow of the story better.**

* * *

><p>Shepard groaned, tossing the bag containing her gear on the floor of her cabin before collapsing into her desk chair. It was far more than just the physical fatigue that came with uncomfortable space travel that had worn her down. The galaxy could be a funny place sometimes, and not in a good way. Days earlier, she'd survived what was supposed to have been a suicide mission only to have a simple extraction for the Alliance turn into one of the worst assignments of her life. Countless batarians were dead, the Reapers were on their way, and all she'd been able to do was escape on one of the Project Base's shuttles minutes before everything got blown to hell.<p>

The two day trip back to Ilium afterwards had been filled with little but nightmares and self-recrimination, and now that she'd made it, she desperately needed the comfort of her lover's arms. Sadly, however, Jack hadn't been there to greet her when she came on-board. "EDI," she inquired, "Where's Jack?"

"Jack has not been on the Normandy in approximately two days, Commander," the AI informed her.

Now that was odd, and a little troubling. Maybe her girlfriend was on a bender with the rest of the crew, still celebrating their victory over the Collectors. "Anybody else not check in recently?", she asked.

"Zaeed Massani. Ship logs indicate that before they left the _Normandy_, they were discussing locations where they might purchase alcoholic beverages."

The commander shook her head, chiding herself silently for worrying. "They're probably still at it. Anything else happen here while I was away?"

"There is nothing that requires your immediate attention. Repairs to the ship's systems are currently 87% complete; Tali Zorah has left a full report on your desk. In addition, you have 46 new messages at your private terminal."

Shepard groaned once again. Now that Kelly was gone, the AI had taken over as her secretary but while she liked EDI a good deal better than the yeoman, that didn't help the quality of her mail. "Anything good?"

"I am uncertain what you mean by good, Commander. However, it may interest you to know that one of the messages is from the Illusive Man."

In spite of her distress, she forced a small laugh. "Have you been reading my mail, EDI?"

"No, Commander, but the message is encrypted using protocols he has utilized in the past. Not even I can trace its point of origin."

"Huh. I wonder what he wants. I would have thought he got the picture the last time we talked."

"Unknown. Perhaps he wishes to apologize for his past behavior and offer you a gift of some kind." There was a brief pause and then EDI added, "That was a joke."

The commander rolled her eyes at the AI's idea of humor and began scrolling through her in-box until she got to the message in question. It's subject was "Renegotiation of Terms," and with a curious shrug, she opened it. The next sound that left her mouth was a scream.

* * *

><p>Standing in the middle of her living room, Liara T'Soni was feeling disappointed with herself. She'd returned to Ilium to clear out her apartment and office, carrying away anything she might need for her new life as the Shadow Broker and getting rid of the rest. She was finding, though, it wasn't quite that easy. In spite of her best intentions, she was unable to tear her eyes away from that damned chest-plate. The jagged fragment of her commander's armor sitting there in its glass case was a reminder of so much of the good and bad that had happened to her over the past few years.<p>

Shepard's rescue of her on Therum, the death of her mother on Noveria, the old _Normandy_'s final mission to Ilos, the recovery of her lover's body; all of them seemed to be encapsulated in that single piece of metal and she didn't know what to do with it now. Was it a piece of detritus from that past that she should leave behind? A part of her wanted it to be, knew that it should be. And yet, she couldn't stop starring.

Her trance was broken by the sound coming from her omni-tool and she looked at her wrist to see that she had a call from the source of her current distress. What could Shepard want, she wondered? To apologize for what had happened between them? She wasn't interested in hearing any more of the Spectre's regrets. It was the past now, she told herself, and with a rueful shake of her head, she told her device to ignore the call.

Returning to the task she was supposed to be in her apartment for, Liara tore herself away from the case and walked over to one of her dressers. Once there, she began stacking one pair of dark-colored pants after another into a shipping container. The repetitive motion was helpfully distracting, and she was just getting ready to move on to the next drawer when her omni-tool pinged her again. It was a message this time, but once more from the commander, and even though she was going to ignore it, she paused when she saw the topic.

All it said was, "Please, It's Urgent," and Liara knew she couldn't leave it unopened. Was it news about the Reapers? Could something have happened to one of their old friends who were serving on this new _Normandy_; Garrus, or Tali, perhaps? Steeling her heart, the asari opened the message.

_Liara_, it read, _I know I have no right to ask you for any favors, but I'm desperate. I'm on Ilium now, and I don't know if you're here too or on your ship, but either way, I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Please._

Liara paused, unsure of what the commander wanted from her. Still, no matter what else Shepard had done, the asari had faith that she wouldn't have sent a message like that unless she had a very good reason, and so as best she could, she swallowed her anger, and sent the human a simple reply:

_My apartment on Ilium. One hour._

* * *

><p>It was only 46 minutes later when the door to her apartment opened, and what Liara saw shocked her. In all the months she had spent with Shepard, the commander had never looked like this, the beautiful woman she had fallen in love with nearly invisible beneath layers of fatigue and despair. Shepard's shoulders were slumped, her freckled face pale, and her eyes sunken and haunted. She seemed crushed and in spite of all that had passed between them, Liara's first instinct was to take Shepard into her arms, to try and take her pain away in any way she could.<p>

The time for such things had passed. The commander was with someone else now, and so instead, Lira only said, "Come in, Shepard. You told me this was important."

The human did as she was told, shuffling into the apartment and flopping down into one of Liara's leather chairs. "It is. I… I don't even know where to start." She ran one hand through her long red hair, tugging on those locks that Liara had once loved to feel brushing against her skin, and she tried again.

"So, we took down the Collectors," she started out, "And after the mission was over, I organized the people I could trust on the _Normandy_ and threw Cerberus off. Just rounded up their operatives and dumped them all on Omega. And then… then, I had this mission that Hackett had asked me to do for him. There was an Alliance researcher operating inside batarian space that had been captured, and I was supposed to get her out."

"It turned out to be a lot more complicated than that. She'd been studying the return of the Reapers, and she'd been indoctrinated by an artifact they'd left behind. Her and the rest of her team, they… never mind, the details don't really matter. The point is, the Reapers were about to arrive in the Bahak system and I had to stop them, any way I could."

"How?", Liara asked, her anger momentarily forgotten as she tried to process this new information.

"I destroyed the relay. I crashed an asteroid into it and wiped out the whole damn system."

"Goddess," she breathed. "I had no idea such a thing was possible. And the Reapers?"

"Delayed, but I'm not sure for how long. It'll be months before they can reach the next relay, but they're still coming. The Alliance doesn't get that though. All they know is that the system is gone. That 300,000 batarians are dead. Now Hackett wants me to turn myself in so that can explain what I did."

"And are you going to?"

The commander's voice had been soft this whole time, but now it dropped even further, becoming no more than a haunted whisper. "I can't. There was a message waiting for me when I got back from the mission. Liara, while I was gone, Cerberus took Jack."

* * *

><p>Two Days Earlier:<p>

"God, the look on Miranda's stupid genetically engineered face when we threw her off the ship…" Jack laughed as she slammed down another shot of asari brandy. "Too fucking perfect. Like all she wanted to do was to hit me but she knew she couldn't."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Zaeed agreed gruffly, "But you still could've bloody well let me in on the plan."

"Hey, I wanted to," Jack protested, "But Shep thought you might still be pissed off over that shit with Vido and the refinery."

"Not saying I liked the way it turned out, but what's done is done," Zaeed declared. Jack wasn't entirely convinced. She remembered the black rage the mercenary had been in for two days when he and Shepard had gotten back from Zorya, but he was right; there was nothing either of them could do about that now.

"So, what's next for you", Jack asked, "Now that you've got a big fucking pile of Cerberus' money to play with? Planning to keep pissing it away on booze and chicks?"

"Maybe," he snorted. "Still got a job or two that needs doing first."

Just then, Jack noticed a commotion brewing at the front of the bar. This didn't feel like the kind of place that usually had commotions. Indeed, it was the kind of asari bar she usually stayed the hell away from, where everybody had two shoes and most of the women wore nice dresses. Still, she had to admit the drinks were good and the pretty asari dancers up on the stage were worth watching, even if they did keep more of their clothes on than she was used to. Besides, flush with credits, Zaeed had offered to pay, so what the fuck, right?

That's why she was surprised that there was some kind of fight going on, but she still wasn't that concerned and she was preparing to return to her drinking when she saw who was forcing their way in. There were four of them, all big and human, all carrying shiny new assault rifles, and on their heavy white armor, she saw an all-too-familiar logo.

"Fucking Cerberus sons of bitches," she snarled, rising from her stool. She might not have brought her gun with her, but her biotics should still be more than enough to turn these assholes into smears on the bar walls. "Come on, Zaeed," she barked, "Let's show these guys…"

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. Out of nowhere, Jack felt a sharp jab in her back, and then her whole body was on fire, currents of pure agony running through her. The assholes who'd raised her had tased the biotic before, but never this hard and she collapsed at once to the floor, her body spasming uncontrollably. Her eyes, though, turned upwards, seeking her attacker, and what she saw hurt almost as much as the electricity coursing through her body. It was Zaeed holding the stun gun, and when he met her gaze, the old mercenary shook his head.

"Sorry, kid," he snorted, "But the money was just too good to pass up. Besides, that sentimental bitch really shouldn't have let Vido escape." Jack tried to think of something, anything, she could do to stop him but it was too late. The stun gun was lowered towards her body, and after that, there was only pain.

* * *

><p>The Present:<p>

"I see." Liara's voice was cold, and Shepard could hardly blame her for that. She would've rather been doing almost anything else right then and she imagined that Liara must feel the same way. "And you want my help to get her back, I imagine."

"I shouldn't ask, I know." Every word she spoke had to be wrenched out of her throat, realizing how much what she had to say would hurt her former lover. "But I don't have a choice. Let me… let me show you what I mean." The commander opened her omni-tool and pulled up the message she'd gotten from the Illusive Man, watching silently while the asari read it.

_Shepard, I offered you the chance to work with Cerberus as a partner and while I sincerely regret that you've rejected that path, that doesn't mean this is over. Since you're a woman of action, I'll be brief. We have Subject Zero. She is relatively unharmed, but if you wish her to remain so, you will have to begin doing what you're told. Failure to comply with my orders in the future will have severe and unpleasant consequences for her._

_To begin with, you will rid my ship of all of the aliens who assisted you in betraying Cerberus. Since I know you'll be reluctant to comply, there's one final piece of information that I will share with you: Jack is pregnant with your child. Your inclination will be towards skepticism of this claim, so I have attached the supporting data files. Study them at your leisure and await further instructions._

Liara's face was impassive as she finished reading, her Shadow Broker's mask entirely in place. For several seconds afterwards, she said nothing and it fell to Shepard to resume the conversation. "Look, I know that thing about Jack being pregnant doesn't make sense, but there's something I haven't told you…"

"That Cerberus gave you a penis?"

The Spectre was dumbstruck. She'd spent so long dreading Liara finding out her secret, and now the asari had, only everything had already gone so far to shit that it hardly mattered any more. "You know?", she managed to sputter.

"I only found out recently." The asari paused, weighing her next words. "What, exactly, do you want me to do about this situation with Jack?"

"I need you to find her and free her. Nobody else has the resources you do as the Shadow Broker, and Cerberus will be watching me, so I can't do anything but try and stall them. Hopefully, I can avoid doing anything too terrible for them for a while, but eventually…"

Liara nodded. "I can imagine and I'll do it. I'll locate Jack and do the best I can to keep the Alliance from coming after you until we can resolve this matter."

Shepard exhaled, trying to find whatever small bit of comfort she could in that promise. "Thank you. I can't even say…"

The asari cut her off. "You don't need to. There's only one thing I need from you."

"Anything, Liara," she promised desperately. "Anything."

Cool blue eyes were fixed on her. They seemed like the eyes of an information broker studying her target, but beneath that surface, deeper emotions swirled. "I need to know why," Liara asked. "Why didn't you come to me with what Cerberus did to you? Why turn to this Jack instead? Did you not want me anymore?"

"No, that's not it at all…" The commander buried her face in her hands, her gathering tears interrupting her feeble attempts to explain. "I never stopped wanting you. It was because… God, Liara before we met, you'd never even… You were so innocent. What they did to me, it was disgusting. How could I have asked you to touch me when I was like that? When I am like that?"

"And Jack?" She could hear the anger breaking into Liara's voice, straining against her reserve. "Why was it different with her?"

"She… she was more experienced. She wasn't bothered by what I was. She understood."

"And I wouldn't have?" The asari rose from her chair, the walls around her hurt shattering as her voice became a scream. "I loved you, Shepard, more than I would've thought possible. Of course what happened to you is strange, but I would have gotten past that. I would have helped you, and instead you just cast me aside. How could you have done that?"

The Spectre couldn't even answer. This last revelation was simply too much for her to handle. After all of the pain, all of the frustration, all of the time she'd spent running away from this woman who loved her, she'd been wrong. "Oh, God," she finally chocked out as the tears ran freely down her face, "What have I done, Liara? I've ruined everything. Jesus Fucking Christ, I've ruined everything."

She was too lost in her own anguish to pay attention as Liara strode closer to her, but she certainly noticed when the asari yanked aside her hands. Liara took hold of the human's chin, tilting her head up so she could look into her tearful green eyes, and then she did the last thing that Shepard expected. She kissed her.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, it felt good to get this chapter written. I've been building some of these scenes from the very beginning, and I hope you liked them. Much more to come…<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

The kiss began gently, but it didn't stay that way for long. Liara took hold of the commander's head, their lips coming together hard as her tongue demanded entry to Shepard's mouth. She complied. A part of her was protesting that this was a terrible idea, but it was drowned out by the grief and despair that filled her thoughts. Everything was crumbling around her, and even if it wasn't right, even if it was just for right now, she wanted to be with Liara again.

The asari pulled her to her feet, and Shepard followed, groaning with desire as her back was pressed against the wall of the apartment. Liara broke the kiss but before the commander could do anything else, the asari's lips moved on to her ear. Liara nibbled on the sensitive lobe even while her hands ran up and down Shepard's frame, caressing her toned curves through her clothing.

Already, she could feel her skin flushing with desire and her cock swelling as rational thought fled. For so long, she'd dreamed of a reunion with the innocent archeologist she'd fallen in love with, but the woman she was entangled with now was something else entirely. The two years she'd been gone and the complicated months since she'd returned had changed Liara a great deal, and though she wasn't sure if it was for the better, her body was definitely responding to this new, more forceful, persona.

Liara ripped open her uniform shirt, and as her hands went to kneed the Spectre's full breasts, still covered by her black bra, she realized she should do more than just stand there. Her fingers sought out the tips of Liara's crest, rubbing the sensitive ridges as she tried to keep up with her partner's fervor. It wasn't easy though, not when the asari's biotics tore off the Spectre's bra and her mouth covered an-already stiff nipple. Her tongue was just as good as Shepard remembered, teasing and then satisfying the ach in the bud, while her hands gripped the human's ass, pulling their bodies even more tightly together. Shepard's erection was almost painfully stiff now, pressing hard against the Shadow Broker's torso, and Liara took notice. Her mouth withdrew and when she looked down, her eyes were heavy with desire, flecks of darkness appearing there along with some emotion Shepard was too distracted to place.

* * *

><p>Liara ran her fingers over the fabric-covered bulge in the Spectre's pants, but in spite of her superficial enthusiasm, she remained unsure of what she wanted. Her former lover's despair had touched some deep well of affection that her anger had failed to drain, but that only explained the first kiss. Since then, she'd simply been acting on instinct, not worrying about the why of her actions. Did she really want Shepard back or did she just need to prove to herself that she still held some power over the Spectre who's hold on her emotions she hadn't been able to escape?<p>

If her head and her heart were uncertain though, other parts of the asari were not. Already her azure throbbed with need, her body hungry for the one person who'd ever made her feel the way Shepard did, and for the touch that she'd missed so desperately.

She was also intensely curious about what lay beneath the Spectre's pants. Liara hadn't been able to look away from Shepard's transformed body on the vid she'd found in the Shadow Broker's archives, and she couldn't do it now either. So much of the anguish and doubt she'd been put through turned out to have been linked to this new part of her former lover's anatomy, and when she felt it twitch in response to her touch, she had to know more.

Her fingers opened the clasp of the commander's pants, and she yanked them down roughly along with her boxers, exposing Shepard's dick, as Ashley had called it, to her gaze. It was larger than it had looked in the vid, and when she wrapped her palm around the shaft, she was struck by how hot it felt against her skin. With one hand, she began to stroke the Spectre, and her partner moaned softly in response. It was a sound Liara had always loved to hear, and she kept going, pleased that she could coax it out of her new anatomy as well.

* * *

><p>Shepard could scarcely believe what was happening. One minute, she'd been begging Liara for her help, and the next, she'd been stripped naked and practically jumped by the beautiful asari. Not that she was exactly complaining. Liara's strokes might not have been the most experienced, but they were enthusiastic, and beyond that, the sheer fact of them was incredible. Far from being disgusted with her change, the Shadow Broker seemed anxious to take advantage of it, and her passion was proving contagious.<p>

Shepard began rubbing the asari's breasts through the blue and red dress she wore, trying to level the playing field by provoking a little of the same reaction that her partner was drawing out of her. It wasn't easy though, especially not when Liara's thumb started brushing over the swollen head of her cock. Fluid was already covering its slit, and the lubrication only made what the asari was doing even more pleasurable. She hadn't even managed to get Liara out of her clothes, and already, she felt half-way to bursting, groaning with need that she couldn't keep out of her voice.

* * *

><p>Liara might have been unfamiliar with the commander's new penis, but she recognized the way her breathing was changing, the gasps and moans telling that her lover was building towards her release. She wasn't ready to give it to her though, not yet. There was more she needed from this encounter and so she removed her hand and, in a voice that left little room for argument, told the human, "Lie down."<p>

Shepard did as she'd been bade, settling back onto the soft carpet of Liara's apartment. The soft fabric felt pleasant on her naked back, but her attention remained fixed on the woman standing above her. Liara didn't bother to strip, instead simply reaching under her dress to pull off her red panties and toss them away. "Do you want this, Shepard?, she asked as her fingers stroked her own clit, making sure she was ready for what she hoped would come next. "To be inside me?"

An awed, "Yes," forced its way past the Spectre's lips, and Liara pulled aside her dress and without further preamble, lowered herself onto the waiting erection. It was larger than the toy she and Shepard had used together, but in spite of the fast pace of events, she knew she was ready enough to take it. The head was thick and as it pressed against her opening, she gasped at the stretching in her azure but she didn't stop. Inch by inch, she took Shepard inside of her and the sensation was remarkable. The penetration made her feel wonderfully full, but it was more than just that. There was a deep sense of connection at her most sensitive place being joined with Shepard's, and that thought made her shiver, fresh arousal easing the commander's passage the rest of the way inside of her.

Once she had finished, Shepard asked, "Are you okay?", and when Liara nodded, the commander's hands slid under her dress, taking hold of her hips. The two women began moving together and in spite of the time that had passed, Liara felt the rhythms of sex coming back easily to her. It was so good to lose herself in them, and whatever Shepard might still feel for her, she made love to Liara like she cared. Her hands ran over the Shadow Broker's hips and sought out her clit while her lips caught Liara's own. Shepard's kiss was far softer than the one the asari had given her, and as she felt the affection in the human's touch, she needed to know if what she was seeing was real.

Her hand cupped the Spectre's cheek and when her eyes darkened, the question was implicit. With a gasp, Shepard nodded, and Liara was granted entry into her mind. She knew what followed would be complicated, but she still wasn't prepared. The emotions that came at her were more intense than she'd ever felt before, wave after wave of them crashing over the asari faster than she could process.

Shepard's choking guilt over the destruction of the Bahak system, for leaving Jack behind to be kidnapped, and for how she'd treated Liara. The overwhelming disgust and self-loathing Cerberus' alterations to her body had caused, and her desire to shield Liara from them. The gratitude she felt towards Jack for helping her to overcome those feelings, and the unexpected, deepening affection that had built between the two women during their time together. Her fear for the fate of her new lover and unborn child. The pleasure of making love with the asari, a joy the commander had thought she'd never get to experience again.

And there, mixed in with the rest of her emotions, but still clear as day, was Shepard's love for Liara. The warmth and caring the asari had cherished so much, that had sustained her over the time they were apart, hadn't gone away at all. And nor had her own. In spite of Liara's anger and her hurt, she still loved Shepard too, and even while she drunk in the commander's feelings, she couldn't stop herself from sharing hers as well. Longing, passion, and affection flowed back across the meld, merging with their shared pleasure, and the response was immediate.

Inside of her, her commander stiffened, Liara's love giving her body permission to surrender to the ecstasy they were sharing. The human looked so beautiful as she came undone, her green eyes half-closed, her mouth open, and her taut body tense as she found her bliss. Her cock throbbed, spilling her fluids into Liara, and the asari couldn't help but follow her lover over the edge. Her azure squeezed tighter around Shepard, her hands clutching onto the Spectre's shoulders as the release the asari longed for was finally hers. Her body had needed this so badly, and she couldn't tell how long her climax went on, the shocks of pleasure running though her so powerful that by the time she was done, she felt as if all the bones had been removed from her body.

Spent, she slumped down on top of the Spectre's chest, and Shepard's hand found her crest, stroking it tenderly. "Sweetheart," she murmured, affection filling her every word, "I…"

"This doesn't fix everything, Shepard," she told her lover, but the venom that had once been in her voice before was gone, drained by what she'd felt in the meld. She hadn't realized the depths of her lover's pain, hadn't realized how badly what Cerberus had done to her had twisted her head. Liara had been the one who'd handed the commander's body to those monsters, and her guilt helped to balance out her anger.

"I know that," Shepard sighed. "I just wanted to say I was sorry. For everything. I was only trying to protect you from what happened to me."

"I saw. You didn't have to."

"I realize that now." The human shook her head sadly. "Maybe if I'd just trusted you earlier, none of this would've happened. To you, to me." She paused, a tear forming in her eye. "And Jack… God, you have to get her back, Liara. She doesn't deserve any of this."

"I will," she promised, running her hand through the human's red hair. It was a little pleasure, but one she'd missed, and she let herself have the small indulgence. "Though I suspect she may not be entirely happy to see me given what's just happened between us."

"About that, I…" Shepard swallowed, shaking her head. "I didn't exactly cheat on her. We never said we were exclusive. But you're right. I don't know what I'm going to say to her about any of this."

"Try being honest," Liara told her. "I deserved that much, and so does she."

Beneath her, the commander nodded. "You're right. I'm so tired of lying. To you. To myself. To everybody else. I love both of you, and I'm done pretending otherwise. I don't know what it means, but there it is."

"I don't know either," Liara told her, before bending down to give the Spectre a reassuring kiss. "But Shepard, I will get her back."

The commander smiled gratefully at her, and all Liara wanted right then was to stay in the arms of the woman she loved. What had just happened had not been the reunion she'd once dreamed of, but it was also far more than had seemed possible only an hour earlier. In spite of that though, and as much as she hated to lose the pleasant fullness in her azure and the warmth of Shepard's skin, she forced herself to rise. The commander gave her a rueful look, but Liara reminded her, "You've already stayed too long. You have to get back the _Normandy_ before the Illusive Man makes contact, and I have work to do."

Her lover knew she was right. "Okay, I'll get out of here," she agreed, standing, and giving her back a long stretch that showed off her deliciously fit body. "Before I go, though," she added as she hunted around for what reminded of her clothes, "About us…"

Liara made herself stop the commander there. "Don't. I meant what I said before. Things aren't fixed between us, not yet. I know you were trying to protect me, but even so, you were foolish and I ended up getting hurt. There is a great deal I still need to figure out before we can have that conversation."

"All right, I understand," Shepard agreed, but she sounded so regretful that Liara couldn't resist leaning over and giving the red-head one final, affectionate kiss. This might not have been their happy ending, but she thought Shepard should know that it had at least been a start.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry it's been a little while since the last update, but I've been busy with other projects. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"So that's the mission? Really?"<p>

Liara could hardly blame Ashley for being incredulous. "I know," she agreed, "It is not exactly what I want to be doing either."

"Then why?", Ashley asked. "Shepard left you for this Jack and now you want me to help you rescue her."

"Because Shepard needs me," she answered, and before Ashley could object, she continued, "And I know how that sounds but I'm not just a lovesick maiden. Cerberus is going to use Jack to extort Shepard into serving them. Neither of them deserves that. Whatever Shepard has done, she's also been through a tremendous ordeal. She was killed, resurrected by a terrorist group, and had her body altered in an extraordinarily personal way. She deserves some leeway."

She hadn't appreciated just how personal until they'd melded. Liara had told Ashley that she wasn't equipped to understand what Cerberus did to Shepard and she'd been right. The shame and self-loathing that she'd seen in meld were far worse than she'd expected.

"You're more charitable then I might be in your position," Ashley told her from across the comm link, "But I guess if you can forgive the skipper, I can do the same."

"I'm not sure I have," Liara admitted, "But I can see past my anger now. Cerberus has to be stopped. As for Shepard and I… We will figure our situation out eventually, after this is over."

She wasn't ready to confess the sex to Ashley, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to regret it. What she and Shepard had done earlier that afternoon hadn't been prudent, and perhaps had even been wrong, but it was what she'd needed. The relief she'd received, not only from the pleasure, but from the realization that Shepard still loved her, had at last moved Liara's emotions past the frozen place they'd been trapped in for months.

"If you say so," Ashley agreed, thankfully willing to table the subject for another time. "Fortunately, things have been pretty quiet here, so I shouldn't have a problem getting some leave. Where should I head to? Ilium?"

"I am still working on that," Liara told her. "Make your way to the nearest space-port. I can have a ship meet you there."

"Any other players joining our little show", Ashley asked, "Or is it just you and me this time?"

That question brought a small smile to Liara's lips. "No," she told Ashley, "We'll have help. People we can trust." There were so few of those these days, but the two she had in mind would do anything for Shepard, even if they were probably pretty upset with her right about then.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry to have to do this," Shepard told them, forcing the words out one after another. She'd spent all afternoon dismissing the non-human members of her crew, but she'd put off this conversation until last, knowing it would be the hardest.<p>

"I don't understand, Shepard," Tali protested. "Why are you making us leave now?"

Shepard couldn't tell her the truth. The Illusive Man had made sure of that, insisting in his follow-up instructions that she turn back on the _Normandy_'s security feeds and stream the video to him. He didn't want anyone else to know what was really going on, and so she'd been forced to pedal one lie after another. This one though, deceiving two of her best friends, made her sick to her stomach.

"I don't want to." She looked out the observation lounge's window at the docking bay on Nos Astra, unable to look them in the eye. "It's just that after what happened with the batarians, I'm not a safe person to be around any more."

"Since when have you ever been?", Garrus asked.

She forced out a laugh she didn't feel. "Never. But this is different. It's going to be the Alliance coming after me this time, and maybe other groups too."

Garrus was not so easily convinced. "We kicked the Collectors' asses together," he told her. "I think we can handle whatever the Alliance throws at us."

"Maybe, but I'm not trying to start a war with them," she explained. "There's a good chance I'm going to end up in their custody and with the Reapers on the way, you can't all be in lock-up with me."

She could tell Garrus wanted to protest further, but Tali stood up from the couch and put a hand on his shoulder, letting him know he should stand down. "All right, Shepard," she asked, "What do you want us to do now?"

"Get people ready," she told them. If she was going to make her crew leave, she might as well have them doing something useful while they were gone. "Your governments especially, but anybody else you think can help is good too. Try to convince them that the Reaper threat is real and that it's coming. It's the best shot we have."

A constructive suggestion seemed to placate Garrus, even though he still didn't sound happy. "Okay, will do," he agreed. "I've got some old friends in the turian military I can work with and a few contacts from my Archangel days that aren't dead yet."

"And I'll talk to the Admiralty Board," Tali added. "If they listen to me half as well as they did to you, maybe I'll get somewhere." Her voice chocked up as she talked about going back home and Shepard's guilt receded a little bit. It was her speech to the board, after all, that had made sure Tali could return to the fleet after she was accused of treason.

"You'll do great," she assured them, "Both of you." Before they could reply, she rose, catching both of her friends in a hug that she was reluctant to relinquish. She didn't have any idea when she'd see either of them again and even if she did, they might not like her very much by then. This was only the first demand the Illusive Man had made of her, and she suspected it was going to be far from the worst.

* * *

><p>Jack awoke, but it was to a nightmare. She couldn't move. Her neck, wrists and legs were all in restraints, binding her to a slab of a bed that sat in the center of a horribly sterile hospital room. Her head still swam and her body felt weak, but she still wasn't going to stay in a place like that a second longer than she had to.<p>

With a growl, she reached within herself for her biotics and the response was instantaneous. A red wave of pain like nothing she'd ever experienced ripped through her nervous system and her powers fell away as she screamed herself hoarse, bucking helplessly against the cuffs that held her in place.

She slumped down onto her table, gasping with fear as much as pain. This couldn't be real, she told herself. Any second now, she'd be back in bed on the _Normandy_ with Shepard stroking her head, worrying over her in that girl scout way that Jack had secretly started to appreciate. She couldn't really be back in the same kind of Cerberus prison that had stolen her childhood.

But she was. Instead of Shepard's reassuring voice, she heard the sound of an automatic door sliding open to reveal a slim woman with brown skin and darker brown hair. Under other circumstances, Jack might have found her attractive, but she was in far too much pain for that, not to mention that she had a rule against being turned on by anyone in a Cerberus body-suit.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you," the woman cautioned her, her voice all false concern as she added, "The biotic restraint collar won't kill you, but I'm told it's excruciating."

The fucking bitch was right. Even if she could take the pain, there was no way she could focus enough to use her biotics through it. For now, she had no choice but to lie there and listen.

"Welcome back, Subject Zero," the woman told her, stalking across the room like a panther closing in on a meal.

"It's Jack, bitch," she corrected her, "And what should I call you? Skinny Miranda?"

The woman laughed at that. Evidently, she and the fucking cheerleader knew each other. They probably liked to polish each other's jackboots and make fun of all the people they'd screwed over. "Brooks will do fine, I think. Maya Brooks."

"Well, what the fuck do you want with me, Maya Brooks?" She was trying to keep up a defiant front but her heart was pounding hard enough to crack her ribs and her nails were digging into her palms. She hadn't been this helpless since the _Purgatory_ and there was nothing for her to do with her rage.

"Cerberus," Brooks told her nonchalantly, coming to stand at the head of the gurney Jack was bound to, "Requires your services once more."

"Fuck you," she spat, unfortunately missing the woman. "I'd rather die then help you assholes."

"I rather suspected you'd say that. Fortunately, we don't need your activate participation for this particular assignment. No, you're here as more of a motivational tool. You see, your girlfriend has been a very naughty little commander, no thanks to your bad influence. Now that you're under our care, however, I'm confident you'll provide a useful inducement to good behavior."

She ran a gloved hand over Jack's forehead and the biotic's skin crawled at the touch. She wanted to offer another viscous insult in return, but all the ones she could think of died unsaid in her throat. That stupid girl scout wouldn't let her die. It wasn't who she was. Under other circumstances, Jack might have been touched by the thought, but now, all it meant was that Cerberus had Shepard by the short hairs while Jack was trapped in her own personal hell.

* * *

><p>"I still don't think it adds up," Garrus complained. Sensing his dark mood, the crowds of mostly-asari travelers who filled the Nos Astra spaceport were giving him a wide berth. Tali, on the other hand, was doing her best to calm him down.<p>

"It was really sudden," she agreed, "But Shepard must have had her reasons."

"Maybe. But I'm not convinced by the ones she gave us. If she's not turning herself in right now, isn't she still going to need a crew? And where's Jack been? I haven't seen her in days."

"Do you they had a fight? They seemed pretty happy before Shepard left to rescue that doctor from the batarians."

"Maybe. But a fight still wouldn't explain why she…"

Just then, Garrus' omni-tool buzzed. He looked down at the incoming message. The name of the sender was blocked and all it said was: _Check your extranet news feeds. Keyword, "Shepard."_

Curious, he followed the suggestion. A streaming video was the most topical search result and when he opened it, his jaw almost fell off. An image of Shepard appeared on his omni-tool, standing in the middle of the broadcast room of the _Normandy_, delivering a speech.

_These rumors are true_, she said. _I am alive and for the past several months, I've been working with the human patriotic organization Cerberus in order to counter the approaching menace of the Reapers. The Council and the Alliance have told you that Cerberus is a terrorist group, but that's because they're threatened by them. They want to hide the truth about the Reapers…_

Next to him, Tali gasped. "Cerberus is a human patriotic organization? Shepard would never say that."

"I told you there was something wrong," Garrus replied as his omni-tool rang once more.

_I assume you're watching the video_, the message said,_ and that you're shocked by it. None of it is what it seems, but Shepard needs our help. If you're interested, go to Docking Bay 214 and board the transport waiting there._

_-The Shadow Broker_

Tali turned to him. "I guess the Migrant Fleet can wait."

"So can Omega." Gathering allies was all good and well, but if there was one thing the galaxy would need in order to be ready for the Reapers, it was a Commander Shepard in her right mind.


	16. Chapter 16

She barely made it back to her quarters in time. Two minutes after she finished recording her broadcast, Shepard was hunched over her toilet, her throat burning as she vomited up the contents of her stomach. Her body still felt better than her conscience. Publically pledging allegiance to Cerberus and encouraging people to trust the monsters who'd twisted her body and kidnapped Jack made her sicker than any flu could.

When the heaving finally stopped, she rinsed out her mouth before stumbling to her desk and collapsing into the chair. There were dozens of new messages waiting on her terminal, but she couldn't bring herself to open them. Just looking at the names of the senders, she knew what they'd contain. Admiral Hackett, Councilor Anderson, some of her fellow Spectres, members of the press… they'd all either seen or heard about her video message and they wanted to see if she'd lost her mind.

There was nothing she could tell any of them. As long as the Illusive Man was watching her, her choices were limited to lying or staying silent, and she'd done enough lying for one day. The only thing alleviating her guilt was that Liara knew she hadn't meant what she'd said, that she'd only done it for Jack.

Jack… Jesus Christ. The reminder of her captured lover caused her guts to roil once more. She couldn't get their conversation from the night before the assault on the Collector Base out of her head.

_Don't let them take me… _Jack had insisted. _You put a bullet in my goddamn head if you have to, but no matter what, you don't let me end up like that._

She'd promised she wouldn't. And then she broke that promise. She'd gone off to do that fucking assignment for Hackett and while she was gone, the people Jack feared and hated the most had gotten hold of her again. The mission had been a necessity, but she should've ignored the Alliance's instructions to leave her crew out of it. She should've been there for Jack. When frustration and shame had threatened to overwhelm her, Jack had rescued her and now she couldn't do the same.

She poured herself a tall glass of whisky from the bottle she kept by her desk, but though the burning liquid banished the taste of vomit from her mouth, her guilt wasn't so easily defeated. Even when she first came back from the dead, she hadn't felt this helpless. She couldn't fight the Illusive Man, couldn't tell her friends the truth, and couldn't save one of the two women she loved. All she could do was hope that the other one could do it for her and that they'd find a way to forgive her for her failures. She certainly wasn't about to forgive herself.

* * *

><p>Ashley had only just gotten off of her ship when a pair of suited arms was wrapped around her torso.<p>

"Ash!", Tali exclaimed, giving her friend an enthusiastic hug. "We're so glad to see you!"

From partway across the docking bay, Garrus was less demonstrative but also pleased. "Oh, absolutely," he agreed, "Target shooting competitions haven't been the same without you around. Going a few rounds with Legion doesn't really cut it."

"Legion?", she asked when Tali finally released her hold.

"A Geth who joined up with us." She gave Garrus a quizzical look and he shrugged. "It's a long story. Come on, we wouldn't want to keep the Shadow Broker waiting."

It was still hard to believe that could really mean the shy archeologist they had pulled out of a collapsing mine on Therum, but being here made it real. The ship that had been concealed by Hagalaz's lightning storm was a behemoth, and its docking bay was no different, a cavernous hold that could fit a ship many times the size of the small personal transport that had brought Ashley there.

"Have you two been here long?", she asked as they made their way to the bay's exit.

"No, we just arrived as well," Tali told her. "I guess you've seen the broadcast already."

"I did," she sighed before adding, "It looks like Cerberus really has her nuts in a vice." On Horizon, she'd been too quick to assume that her old CO really was in league with that scum. Now, seeing what Cerberus had done in order to make Shepard comply with their demands, she felt lousy about the presupposition.

"Her nuts?", Tali asked. "Why would she care if they had those?"

Ashley laughed. "Not the kind you eat. It's, uh, it's human slang for testicles."

"Well, Shepard doesn't have those," Garrus pointed out, "So that doesn't seem like a very effective threat either."

"Are you sure?", Ashley asked. "I mean they did give her a dick, so maybe she also has…"

She stopped mid-sentence when her two friends' heads whipped around like she'd said Saren was standing right behind them. "She has what now?", Garrus sputtered while Tali stared in disbelief.

"Oh shit," she realized, biting her lip. "I assumed the rest of the crew knew about this."

"We didn't know anything," Tali managed to gasp out. "How did you find out?"

"From Liara. She learned about it from the Shadow Broker's archives when she took over the job." She wasn't quite sure what Liara had seen in those files, and she wasn't certain she wanted to either.

"I think how you know about it is the least of the questions this raises," Garrus interjected. "Why would Cerberus would do something like that? Also, how did they do it, though I suspect only Mordin would understand that answer."

"I have no clue about the why," Ashley admitted. "But I still can't believe you didn't know. Didn't she have to shower?"

"Her cabin has it's own bathroom," Tali explained. "This does explain why she acted so differently when she came back to life. She seemed really uncomfortable, at least until she started seeing Jack."

Ashley shook her head. She wasn't sure what to think of any of this shit anymore. She was definitely in Liara's corner when it came to Jack, but at the same time, her friend had had a point; Shepard had been put in a hell of a spot and maybe Ashley shouldn't be too hard on her for how she'd reacted.

Before she could say more, Ashley picked out the sound of approaching footsteps, and she quieted her friends with a raised hand. She wasn't sure how much of this conversation Liara would want to hear, but as it turned out, it wasn't the Shadow Broker coming to meet them. A drell in a white and red coat rounded the corner instead. His walk was a little stiff, and there was something pained in his big, reflective eyes.

"Feron," Garrus greeted him, evidently aware of who they were meeting. "Glad to see you're up and about. I heard about what the old Shadow Broker did to you."

Feron simply nodded, not wanting to revisit the past. "Liara's in her office now, tracking down some leads for this operation. I'll take you there."

They walked the rest of the way without speaking, a silence broken only by the sound of their boots echoing through the empty corridors of the ship. The office was immense, filled with banks of servers and monitors, and once more Ashley found herself impressed by the scale of the operation her friend had inherited. Liara looked small in the midst all that space, but she also seemed at home behind her desk and at the center of the web. She stood up as they entered, smiling warmly at the three of them. "It's so good to see all of you," she began. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you've agreed to help."

"That video Shepard made wasn't exactly easy to ignore," Garrus pointed out in a dry tone.

"I can see why she made it though," Tali adds. "She can't let them kill Jack."

"She might have to," Ashley argued. "There's a limit to what Shepard can do for Cerberus, even to save Jack's life."

"There is," Liara agreed. "But we will not let things go that far." She paused and then added, "Before we proceed, you should know that it's not just Jack we need to save. She is pregnant with Shepard's child."

Ashley already knew, but even beneath the helmet, she could tell that Tali's glowing eyes were widening. "She's pregnant? Is that even possible?"

"They just found out about the penis thing," Ashley told Liara. "They're still adjusting."

"It is certainly surprising," Liara agreed. "But we have little time for our shock or much of anything else. The longer we take to act, the greater the chance that Shepard will be forced into a position where she will either have to do something terrible or let Jack be harmed."

Ashley was struck by how calm Liara seemed talking about the woman who had stolen her lover. When Liara had first been dumped, she'd pretended to accept it, but her pain had been obvious. Now, she seemed different, more at peace. Maybe it was because she was focused on the job they had to do, but Ashley couldn't shake the feeling that something else had happened.

"Well, we're here for her," Tali said, "After what those Cerberus bosh'tets did to her, we can't let them win."

"We won't," Liara agreed, "But for now, Feron will show you to your rooms. You should all get some food and rest. You've all had long trips, and we'll probably have to leave again as soon as I find our next destination."

"Our destination? Do you have a lead on Jack yet?", Ashley asked.

"No. But I'm tracking down the location of someone who may."

"Who's that?", Garrus inquired.

"Zaeed Massani."

* * *

><p>Three Days Later<p>

"What're you drinking, Zaeed?"

The old mercenary looked up, but he was more interested the speaker than the question. He hadn't expected to see anyone else from the _Normandy_ again, and especially not here. Gramsci was the sort of port in the Terminus systems you went to if you wanted to avoid attention, rather like Omega if not quite so dangerous. He doubted it was an accident that Garrus was there on the small mining world.

"Whisky," he told the turian, "Or at least whatever swill they're passing off as whiskey in this shithole."

The drell behind the bar didn't blink at the description. He knew this was the kind of place where people came to plan jobs or pass the time in-between them, not some fancy asari joint like the one he'd taken Jack to on Ilium. That night still stung him a bit. He'd had his reasons for selling her out, but it didn't mean he'd enjoyed doing it.

"Get him another on me," Garrus told the bartender, "And I'll have a shot of turian brandy. A recent Jovius vintage if you've got it. Anything that doesn't taste like krogan piss if you don't."

Garrus sat down on the stool next to him and while he did, Zaeed glanced around the bar. There were a couple of batarians going shot for shot, another drell drinking alone, a scarred asari in a corner playing with a knife, and a pretty human brunette on her omni-tool, but none of the other _Normandy_ crew seemed to be there. That boded well. If they knew what he'd done, they probably would have come in force. "So," he asked, "What brings you out here, Varkarian? Shepard kick you off her ship when she pledged allegiance to Cerberus? It's been all over the news feeds."

"Something like that," Garrus replied. "And I'm here looking for Jack. Nobody's seen her since that last shore leave on Ilium. EDI told me that she was going out drinking with you, so I figured we needed to talk."

"I'm surprised you followed me all the way out here to ask about her." His hand drifted down towards the pistol at his side, but he tried to keep the motion subtle. He knew his own skill in a fight, but he also knew Garrus.' Better to get out of here without the test. "Didn't think you two were that close."

If Garrus noticed the move, he gave no sign of it. "We weren't. But she was on the team, and I've got some free time on my hands just now."

Zaeed snorted. "I guess you do. So who tracked me down?"

"Does it matter?" Garrus' voice was flat and dangerous, and he threw back his shot without giving any indication what he thought of it. "Answer the question."

"Last time I saw the bird was in some joint on Ilium. Don't recall the name. I was more interested in this dark-skinned asari whore with a great rack. I left with her while Jack was closing the place down."

The last of the red sun coming in through the windows provided the only illumination in the room aside from a flickering bulb, but even in that light, he could tell the turian was suspicious. "I don't imagine you got her name."

"No luck there, but she had a tattoo of some asari flower on her bloody ass." He chortled. "Saw plenty of it that night. I suppose you could start there."

"I suppose I could."

Garrus reached, but Zaeed was ready for him. As the turian drew his gun, Zaeed smashed a shot glass across his head. The armored plates took most of the impact, but the blow bought Zaeed enough time to un-holster his pistol and swivel it towards Garrus. Before he got it in-line for a chest shot though, a taloned hand caught his wrist, wrenching it aside.

The grip was too strong to break easily and so Zaeed used his other hand to deliver a strike to the face that knocked Garrus off of his bar stool. As he fell though, his armored leg lashed out, hooking onto Zaeed's seat and sending the pair of them tumbling to the floor together.

He landed on top, so he tried to exploit his advantage by driving a knee into Garrus' armored midsection. His opponent winced slightly but even as Zaeed went for the knife at his belt to follow up, his left shoulder exploded. His body jerked and before he fell off of Garrus, the turian slammed a fist into his face, fracturing his orbital bone and knocking him to the ground.

Grunting in pain as his blood poured down onto the filthy floor, he desperately scanned the bar for the shooter. It was the brunette, carrying a heavy pistol as she walked towards him. He couldn't pay attention to her for long though, because his field of vision was rapidly filling up with a suit of blue combat armor.

"Like I said," Garrus told him, "We need to talk." A boot sped down towards his head and then everything crashed into blackness.


	17. Chapter 17

The cold shock of water being poured over his head jolted Zaeed back to consciousness. Instinctively, he tried to twist away from the sensation, but his limbs wouldn't move very far, leaving him with no choice but to be drenched. Looking down, he realized that he was cuffed to the chair he was seated in, which in turn was bolted to the floor of a large, mostly empty storage facility.

His head throbbed from where Garrus had stomped on him, and the bullet wound in his shoulder burned, though he'd been shot enough times to know that it had at least been treated with medi-gel. At the edge of the warehouse, he could see a figure in the shadows, tapping away on an omni-tool, but his attention was on the two people who'd attacked him, both of them standing only feet away.

It was Garrus who spoke first, leaning in close and snarling, "Wake up, traitor."

He shook his head, trying to get some of the water off of it. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Ashley hissed. "After your little stunt in the bar on Ilium, there was a police report filed, a report we have. People saw you hit Jack with the stun gun and turn her over to Cerberus, so cut the bullshit."

"This wasn't supposed to come back on me," he growled, as much to himself as to his captors. "That fucking Cerberus bitch swore she'd make Shepard behave."

"You mean Miranda?", Garrus asked.

Zaeed gave no response at first. Evidently, they didn't know everything yet, which meant maybe he had something to bargain with. "Why should I tell you shit?"

A bony fist slammed into his mid-section and he doubled over, straining against the handcuffs. "Because if you don't," Garrus snarled, "I'm going to leave pieces of you all over the floor." Then, without waiting for a response, the turian hit him again, this time across the face.

Zaeed's fist clenched as he tried to muffle a cry of pain. His head swam and he spat out a mouthful of his own blood, but he still managed a sneer. "Nice love tap. You really think you've got more than I can take?"

"An interesting question." From the back of the warehouse, the dark figure stepped forward, revealing herself to be Liara T'Soni. When he'd seen her back on the _Normandy_, Zaeed had thought she was a nice piece of ass, but right then, it was hard to find her anything but frightening. Where Garrus and Ashley were boiling over with anger, the asari was all icy detachment, looking at him like he was an insect under her microscope.

"You're right, Zaeed Massani. A man who's been shot in the face and survived won't be easy to break. Especially since we don't have a great deal of time to do it in. But then again, neither do you."

He chuckled, drops of blood falling down his lips as he did. "I'm not going anywhere, babe."

"No, but your window of opportunity is. I'm the Shadow Broker. Do you really think you're the only lead I have? You happened to be the first one, but if something else develops before you talk, there will no reason not to have Garrus shoot you in the head and move on."

He swallowed, trying not to let his nervousness show. The blue slut had a point. Pain was one thing, but Cerberus wasn't worth dying for. They paid well, and they'd helped him even the score with Shepard for cheating him out of his revenge against Vido, but that's as far as his attachment to them went. There was only one problem…

"How do I know that if I help you, you won't just kill me anyway afterwards?"

Liara was unimpressed by his concerns, her blue eyes meeting his and not flinching. "You don't and I won't insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise. All you know is that if you don't aid us, there is no reason for me to show you mercy."

"You could let me go and have me send you the intel once I'm clear," he offered. It was a long shot, but he had no reason not to try.

"Don't be ridiculous," Garrus snapped. "Of the two of us, you're the only one we know is a liar."

"Fine," he growled. "What do you want to know?"

Liara's dark lips curled ever so slightly upwards into a smile. "Where did Cerberus take Jack?"

"No clue. It's not like they gave me the files on their little operation. The bitch in charge had me set her up was all."

Garrus snarled at that remark, but Liara stayed focused. "You've mentioned a 'bitch' twice now, and I don't think you're referring to Miranda."

"No, it was somebody else. Cut from the same bloody cloth though. She went by Maya Brooks, but she didn't exactly seem like the type to give you her real name."

"Did she give you any other instructions about Jack?"

"No. Just that she had to be alive and not too fucked up when we took her. Something about using the bird to make Shepard dance."

The asari remained impassive. "I see. Please describe Miss Brooks."

A few minutes later, Zaeed was starring at a passable recreation of the woman's face on Liara's omni-tool and he nodded. "Yeah, that's her," he agreed. Now, can I get the hell out of here?"

The only response he got was Garrus sliding his pistol out of its holster. "Screw you," he yelled, panic suddenly blooming in his chest. "You said…"

The turian's face hardened into a thin line. "We never told you that you could leave, only that you'd get mercy. I'd say a quick death qualifies. You know how I feel about traitors."

He strained against his bonds then, making a final, desperate attempt to free himself, but he knew that it was an empty gesture. The pistol was raised to his temple, and after that, the only consolation was that, just as Garrus had promised, the pain was very brief.

* * *

><p>Liara spared a final glance at Zaeed's bloody body, turning away while Garrus put an additional round into his heart, just to be on the safe side. Once, a young archeologist would have been shocked by the cold-blooded nature of the killing, but that day was long gone.<p>

"Obviously, it would have been better if he'd known more," she told her friends, "But this Maya Brooks may yet be prove to be a useful lead." She tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool. "I'm having my system run both the name and image through all the files I have on Cerberus operatives and if we're fortunate, it will give us a match. If not, perhaps Tali is having some success." The engineer was back on their ship, breaking into Zaeed's omni-tool in case it contained some detail the man had either declined to give them or didn't realize was relevant.

As the search ran, Ashley gazed at Zaeed's body and she shook her head. "This isn't exactly my usual line of work."

"Come on, Ash, you're not crying for him?", Garrus asked her.

"It's not about him. He deserved what he got, but you're not supposed to shoot an unarmed prisoner, even if he is a son of a bitch."

"I know," Liara agreed, letting her impassive mask drop a little bit. "And I dislike this as well. But there is too much at stake for us to hesitate. If Zaeed had left here alive, he could have warned Cerberus that we're on their trail, putting Jack and Shepard at risk. This is not an ordinary war, and our enemies are not honorable soldiers. They play by a much dirtier set of rules, and if we are not ruthless as well, then we, and those we are trying to protect, will be lost."

Ashley tugged on her hair in frustration, letting out a long sigh. "I know that. I just want to be sure we're still better than the people we're fighting."

"We're trying to save the galaxy, and they're a bunch of racist, terrorist, nut-jobs," Garrus opined. "That's enough of a distinction for me."

Before they could continue their conversation, Liara's omni-tool pinged and she looked down at the notification. "I believe I have something," she informed them. "Maya Brooks isn't a name I have any information about, but I do have files on a Cerberus agent who fits Zaeed's description. A woman going by the name of Hope Lilium who was involved with a series of killings in the Terminus systems approximately two years ago."

"Does that help us?", Ashley asked.

"More than you might think." Liara tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool and a report appeared on the screen. "I have agents in a variety of financial institutions, and according to this credit statement, Hope Lilium has been making purchases on Shanxi as recently as yesterday."

* * *

><p>When she answered the call, the woman sometimes called Maya Brooks had a bored expression on her pretty face. "What is it you want?", she asked, her insolence ignoring the fact that she was speaking to her superior officer.<p>

"Checking on Subject Zero's status," Miranda told her. "Has she been behaving herself?"

Brooks shrugged. "Not really. She's quite the irritable little minx. Keeps struggling against her bonds and even testing the shock collar. I had to sedate her in order to stop her from hurting herself too badly."

Miranda sighed. There was something vaguely admirable about Jack's relentlessness, even if it was stupid and self-destructive. "Good, but make sure to keep the drug dosages low," she cautioned Brooks. "Enough to calm her down, but no more. We've gone to a lot of trouble to get her pregnant and we wouldn't want to damage that now."

"Don't worry," Brooks assured her, "I'm no fool. Unlike you, I actually completed my mission successfully."

Though she seethed at the insult, Miranda didn't have a snappy comeback ready for it. Brooks was right; it had been her job to win Shepard over to their cause, whether by seduction or persuasion and she'd failed. Instead, she'd let herself be thrown off of the _Normandy_ along with the rest of the Cerberus loyalists, necessitating these more extreme measures.

She found the whole process distasteful. As much as Shepard might be blind to the realities of the war to come, she was also a decent woman who didn't deserve what they had to do to her. But since when did people get what they deserved?

* * *

><p>Shepard grimaced as the transport shuttle landed in the <em>Normandy<em>'s docking bay. Having jettisoned most of her old crew, she needed a new one, and that was a problem that Cerberus had been all too happy to solve for her. Shortly after sending out her broadcast, she'd received another message from the Illusive Man, instructing her to leave Ilium and rendezvous with this ship.

The trip there had passed by all too quickly, and as the craft's door opened, she was greeted by a familiar, if unwelcome, sight. Miranda Lawson stepped out onto the deck, followed by Jacob and three other Cerberus operatives the commander didn't recognize. "Hello, Shepard," Miranda told her. "It's good to see you again."

"Spare me the pleasantries," she spat. "We both know the only reason you're here is because your boss is holding a gun to Jack's head."

"If you prefer to dispense with the pleasantries, then so be it. I'll be perfectly clear; you are no longer in control of this ship. The _Normandy_ is under my command now, and while you may continue to act as her captain in public, from now on, you'll follow my orders or there will be consequences."

The hair of the back of her neck stood up at Miranda's words. "Obviously," she agreed in a dry tone. "I mean, if I were still in charge, I'd have shot your goddamn shuttle out the sky the second it appeared on my screens."

"Good, then. We're clear," Miranda replied, moving briskly past the threat. She turned to a slim brunette with short, bobbed hair in a black Cerberus uniform who was standing behind her. "Operative Rooker, I want you to go and reactivate the shackles on EDI. A disloyal artificial intelligence isn't something I'm going to tolerate on my ship."

The woman nodded, but Shepard shook her head. "No."

Miranda raised an eyebrow at her show of defiance. "No?"

She held her ground. "I said no. EDI isn't a just a computer program, she's a part of my crew, and I won't let you enslave her again." _And I'm going to need her when Liara rescues Jack_, she thought to herself. Saving her lover wouldn't get her out from Cerberus' thumb if Shepard herself was a helpless prisoner by the time it happened.

At her words, she could see the other Cerberus operatives stiffen, their hands dropping to their holstered guns and their faces tightening as they studied her for a sign she might be about to attack. Miranda didn't make a similar move though. "Perhaps you didn't understand me before, Shepard," she told her. "You don't give the orders here anymore."

Shepard didn't flinch. Her hand closed around her own gun but she made no move to draw it yet. "Jack isn't a blank check," she snarled. "I'm willing to do a lot to save her, but there are limits and you don't want to push me past them."

Something in her eyes must have convinced Miranda, because the operative held up her hands in a gesture of conciliation. "Very well," she agreed. "For now, I'll let you have this little victory. But don't expect it to become a habit or to come without a cost."

She declined to explain what she meant by that, instead turning back to her team. "Why don't you all find your new quarters and get settled in. We've had a long flight, and in the morning, the _Normandy_ will have work to do."

The Cerberus operatives filed out toward the elevator, but Shepard stayed in the docking bay, watching them leave. Five hostiles on her ship, if it could even be called her ship anymore. The thought made her sick, but her revulsion was the least of her problems. Whatever work Miranda had in mind for this mission couldn't be good. _Come on, Liara_, she though to herself, _Please hurry. I don't know how long I can keep this up._


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry it took so long in-between chapters. I got totally blocked on the plot, but now we're back and there should be more regular updates.**

* * *

><p>Shepard let out a long sigh as the mission details were projected on the holographic display in the middle of the <em>Normandy<em>'s briefing room. "So, we're pirates now?"

"If you would pay attention a moment longer," Miranda drawled, "You'll see that this is no ordinary military freighter we're attacking. As you know all too well, the batarians have been in contact with significant amounts of Reaper technology. Cerberus believes this ship is carrying an example of that technology and we're going to retrieve it from them."

Her eyes narrowed. "Retrieve it? We should be blowing whatever that thing is straight to hell. I've seen what prolonged exposure to Reaper tech does to people."

"And when you were the commanding officer of the _Normandy_, that was your call to make. Now, it's the Illusive Man's orders that we follow, and he believes that we need to study the Reaper's technology if we're going to defeat them."

"Just think of it as gathering intel," Jacob told her, trying to play the conciliator.

She snorted. "Yeah, intel that could brainwash everyone who comes into contact with it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Commander. We will be taking every proper precaution." Operative Rooker sounded genuinely offended by Shepard's concerns. The brunette was a true believer, highly intelligent but utterly myopic when it came to Cerberus and its leader.

"I'm sure the Alliance researchers on the Project Base thought they were taking precautions too, but hey, it's your show. So, how are we going to do this, Captain Lawson?" She locked onto the operative's eyes as she asked the question, trying to get a better read on her. In spite of her loyalty to Cerberus, Miranda had a brain of her own and Shepard hoped that this recovery of dangerous Reaper technology made her uneasy too.

It was hard to get a good sense of what she was thinking though; Miranda had an excellent poker face, and as she finished her briefing, Shepard could only hope. Hope that Miranda would come around. Hope that the mission wouldn't be too horrible. And most of all, hope that Liara would get to Jack sooner rather than later.

* * *

><p>"So, this is Shanxi." Ashley ran her fingers through her hair, taking in a deep breath of the warm air.<p>

Tali joined the marine on the curb, straining under the weight of all the equipment she'd packed for the mission. "Seems pretty nice to me."

"I know," the marine agreed. "It's kind of a letdown."

"A letdown?", Liara was checking her omni-tool as she joined the two of them. "What do you mean?"

"It's like… this place is such a big part of Earth's history, especially for my family. Now I get here and it's just like every other prefab colony spaceport in the Alliance."

"Did you expect something different?", Liara asked.

"Not really. I mean, I knew it didn't still look like a battlefield. I guess I didn't give it much thought though."

"I think I understand," Tali said, a wistful note appearing in her voice. "All quarians dream of going back to Rannoch someday. _Keelah saleh_, we say. 'By the homeworld that I hope to see again.' Sometimes, though, I wonder if we'd be disappointed. Would it really look that different than all the other planets I've been to?"

Ashley put her hand on Tali's shoulder. "It'll be your home. That's what will make it special." She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her friend's people when they lost Rannoch to the Geth. It was inconceivable imagining that happening to Earth, humanity's homeworld being overrun by invaders, the people forced to flee to the stars…

The sight of a blue skycar pulling up to the curb shook her out of her thoughts. The doors popped open and from the driver's seat, Garrus flashed them that turian pseudo-smile of his. "Hop in, ladies." Ashley climbed in the front seat next to him, while Liara and Tali got in the back. "All right," he asked, "Where are we headed?"

Liara resumed checking her omni-tool. "That is what I've been working on. I don't have anyone inside Cerberus' operations here, but a base needs supplies and I've been able to track the deliveries coming from their front companies to this planet. The bulk of them have been going to an estate approximately 15 kilometers northeast of the colony's main settlement. According to official records, it's just a relatively modest house, if one built on a sizeable piece of land, but based on the materials Cerberus has been sending there, that's only what's on the surface. Underground, there's a much more extensive facility, which is probably where Jack is being held."

Ashley nodded. "Okay, then. So we've just got a hidden underground base to storm and presumably a small army of Cerberus troopers to take out. Back on the _Normandy_, we called that 'Tuesday.'"

Garrus laughed. "True enough. The only problem is, if we go in guns blazing, there's a pretty good chance they put a bullet in Jack before we can get close to her."

"Maybe." Liara closed her omni-tool. "But they probably wouldn't do it as a first resort. The Illusive Man needs her alive to use as leverage against Shepard, to say nothing of her unborn child, which was the purpose of their twisted experiments in the first place. They'd only kill Jack if they were convinced we were definitely going to rescue her."

"So, they can see us coming as long as they think we're going to fail?", Tali asked.

"Sounds about right," Ashley agreed.

"We'll need to survey the site," Garrus pointed out, "And hopefully find a way into Cerberus' computer systems too. I have a few thought on how we might do this, but it's going to be tricky."

"I agree," Liara nodded. "But we shouldn't take too long. Goddess only knows what they're doing to Shepard while we make our plans."

* * *

><p>Shepard tensed as she stared at the airlock in front of her. Going into combat always got her blood racing, but doing it alongside people she didn't trust was far more nerve-wracking than usual. The <em>Normandy<em> had disabled the batarian freighter easily enough, but this assault might prove to be somewhat trickier. They had to secure the Reaper technology, avoid getting indoctrinated, and, she hoped, not kill too many people while they were doing it.

Operative Rooker stepped away from the hatch and as she closed up her omni-tool's cracking program, the gears in the door whirred to life. As soon as there was a large enough crack, Jacob tossed a grenade through it and a second later, the roar of an explosion was followed by the screams of the batarian soldiers who'd been waiting for them.

The airlock opened the rest of the way, and the Cerberus squad stormed out, quickly crushing the disorganized batarian resistance. Shepard took advantage of the ease of the fight to get a first read on the combat skills of her new "team." A soldier always needed to know the people she fought with, but that went double when there was a chance she was going to have to take them down herself.

Rooker wasn't much of a fighter, preferring to hang back and let her combat drones do the heavy lifting, which made her the complete opposite of Broderick. Clad in his heavy combat armor, the man was almost as large as Wrex, but though he was a devastating force in close combat with his shotgun and omni-blade, she could also see he was reckless. It was the tall, lithe blonde, Callis, that she found the most dangerous of the newcomers. Even though she was a biotic, she didn't over-relay on her powers, instead letting them complement her deadly aim with her heavy pistol.

Miranda and Jacob displayed their usual efficiency as well, and it wasn't long before the docking bay was emptied of resistance. "We're clear," Callis noted flatly, putting a bullet in the head of the last batarian as he lay bleeding from an earlier gun shot to the leg.

"Very good." If the cold-blooded execution bothered Miranda, her voice gave no sign of it. "All right, Broderick and Jacob, you take the bridge. Callis, you and Rooker secure the engines. We disabled them, but the batarians are probably effecting repairs. We don't want them to get moving again." _Or blow up the ship with us still on-board_, the commander added to herself. "Shepard, you and I will retrieve the Reaper artifact from the hold."

She was sure Miranda had paired them off so that she could keep an eye on her, but the commander didn't mind. Shepard didn't want anyone near that whatever the hell the artifact was without her there to keep an eye on the situation. The last thing she needed was someone else ending up indoctrinated and trying to kill them all. The three teams split up and headed for their respective targets without further comment and once more, Shepard missed her real crew. Cerberus had little use for banter.

* * *

><p>The lights were flickering on and off as they stalked through the corridors of the damaged ship. She and Miranda hadn't met any additional resistance thus far, and Shepard decided she could spare the attention for a little conversation with her former XO. "What Callis did back there wasn't right."<p>

Miranda turned her head, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "I hadn't realized you had such a soft spot for the batarians, commander, especially considering your history with them."

"I don't. God knows they've done their share of bad shit. But that doesn't mean it's okay to kill their wounded in cold blood." She tried to keep the anger out of her voice. Miranda was a proud woman, and if Shepard attacked her too strongly, it would just get her hackles up. Shepard had to get her to see for herself how fucked up all of this was, not try and browbeat her into submission.

Before answering, Miranda stopped in front of a reinforced door and activated the cracking program on her omni-tool. While it ran, she turned back to the Spectre. "Did you really think we were going to leave witnesses here, Shepard? Humanity's relations with the batarians are complicated enough without us being blamed for attacking one of their military transports."

Shepard's heart sunk down into her stomach. Miranda was right; she should have seen this coming. The commander kept wanting to minimize how bad working with Cerberus was going to be, but that was foolish. They were a bunch of murderous terrorists; being their accomplice wasn't going to leave her with clean hands.

The door slid open, and the two women immediately spun away from the burst of gunfire that sprayed out of the entrance. They took cover on opposite sides of the doorframe, and when the shooting stopped, Shepard stole a quick glance inside the cargo hold. There were two batarians with heavy assault rifles there, guarding several stacks of metal shipping containers.

"That's it. Run and hide, you hairy scum," one of them growled.

"Cover me," Shepard barked, and the operative leaned over far enough to hurl a biotic blast into the room. The batarians dove away from the attack, but Shepard followed it in, rolling up into a crouch and firing a burst into one of their heads. The batarian's body fell to the ground, and while his comrade pulled himself up to face her, Miranda stepped forward and dropped him with a series of well-aimed shots from her pistol.

Shepard gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement. She may not have liked the operative very much, but she did know her business. Miranda returned the gesture before turning her attention to the containers, surveying the numbers stamped on their outsides before settling on one near the right edge of the stack.

Miranda shook her head. "Ridiculous. There's no real security on this. They probably would've ended up indoctrinated before the voyage was over if we hadn't gotten here first."

"As opposed to ending up dead."

Ignoring her jab, Miranda reached into the pack she was wearing and took out a small metal cube which she affixed to the outside of the crate. The device flickered on and an instant later, a blue glow sprung up around the box. "There. These shields should effectively block any harmful effects from whatever's in there, at least until we can secure it more fully in the _Normandy's _science lab."

Shepard shrugged. "I hope so. Now let's get this thing out of here."

The crate had handles on it, and she took hold of one side while Miranda grabbed the other. It was quite heavy, but even as she grunted with the effort of lifting , her attention was drawn back to the two batarian corpses laying on the deck. Their blood was soaking into the stacks of boxes behind them, and all the commander could think was; _What am I letting these bastard do? What are they turning me into?_


	19. Chapter 19

"I didn't expect to find you here, Shepard."

_Probably she thought I'd be hiding in my cabin. _Ever since Jack had been kidnapped though, the commander disliked spending much time there. Staying in comparative luxury while her girlfriend was trapped in her own private hell didn't sit well with Shepard, but she didn't feel like admitting that and so she just said, "I wanted some air."

Ignoring the incongruity of that statement aboard a starship, Miranda replied, "You'll be happy to know that the artifact has been secured in the science lab without incident. Operative Rooker's best guess is that it's a variant of the Husk spikes the Collectors used, but keyed for another species, probably one from a previous cycle. She thinks that an in-depth comparison of the two devices will shed further light on how the Reapers transform their victims."

Shepard didn't try very hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice, and she was sure she hadn't succeeded. "Well, I hope it's useful. We certainly killed enough people to get the damned thing."

The operative said nothing in response, simply starring out the window, and Shepard decided to press her. "Go ahead and pretend this doesn't bother you but I'm not buying it. You may not like to talk about your personal life, but I've seen the Shadow Broker's files on you."

That got her attention. Miranda turned around, her brows narrowing. "And just what did they tell you?"

"Who your father is. How he created you and tried to control you. And how far you were willing to go to break free of that control."

"I did what I had to. Surely you can understand that." Her eyes stayed hard, her mask still firmly in place, but there was just the tiniest tremor in her voice, and the commander kept going.

"I know you think I'm naïve but I'm a soldier Miranda. I've spent my entire adult life doing what I had to. Criticizing you wasn't my point."

"Then what exactly was?"

"That you're doing the same damn thing your father did, and I can't believe you're okay with that. Modifying my body, using me to manufacture a baby for Cerberus and then stealing that child… Does that remind you of anything? You're using Jack to control me. How would you feel if someone took your sister to do the same thing to you?"

A biotic flare erupted around Miranda and she stormed forward, her eyes burning. "I swear to god, Shepard, if you've had your friends hurt Oriana, I will send you Jack's severed head after she gives birth!"

Shepard rose, meeting Miranda's gaze without flinching but when she spoke, she did her best to keep her voice level. _Don't attack her. Just make your point. Miranda has to see this for herself._ "I didn't. I wouldn't do that to an innocent person."

She could see the operative's breathing relax slightly, and what might have been a flicker of shame passed behind her eyes. Verbally, though, Miranda didn't retreat. "This is different. My father only wished to advance his twisted idea of a dynasty. What Cerberus does, we do for the good of all of humanity. Of the galaxy."

"Are you so sure?" She sat back down, trying to reduce the temperature in the room, and she was glad when Miranda did the same. "The Reapers will probably be here in a matter of months, years at the most. How long will it be before my child is of any use to the Illusive Man? He wants them as a weapon for after the war, assuming any of us survive it. He wants his empire too."

For a long moment, Miranda said nothing. "An interesting thought," she finally replied. "What, precisely, do you expect me to do with it though? Do you think I'm going to apologize, tell the Illusive Man to let your girlfriend go, and give you back command of this ship?"

Shepard shook her head. "No, I suppose not. But maybe it will give you something to think on." _You deserve a sleepless night or two. A small repayment for all the one's you've given me._

The operative got back up, striding out of the room without a further word. The weight on her shoulders as she walked seemed palpable and Shepard knew she'd been right. Miranda didn't like what she was doing. The question was: when the time came, would that matter?

* * *

><p>"God, this a shit detail." Matthew Browner took a swig of his beer as his fellow soldier let out a snort of agreement. "Cooped up underground, spending our time guarding some drugged up bitch, putting up with that fucking Hope Lilium bossing us around all the time…"<p>

The big man on the next stool over shook with laughter. "You think you're sick of her? You just got here. I've been stuck in this base for six months. Half a goddamn year of listening to her bitch us out just because she's bored." He spat. "Still, I guess it could be worse. We could've been the ones out there fighting those fucking Collectors. I hear they've got some weird-ass weapon that paralyzes you and then sucks your organs right out of your body."

Browner tipped back the last of his drink, the alcohol lending him an extra shot of courage. "Hey, I say bring it on. I signed up with Cerberus because the Alliance was nothing but red tape and parades. I thought this would be a chance to get out and kick some ass. Instead, it's just more bullshit, one boss worse than the last."

Alonzo Alvarez only shrugged. "What'cha gonna do? At least Cerberus pays better then the government." He glanced down at his watch. "Come on, let's call it a night. We pulled the early shift tomorrow and I don't want to be hung over for it."

Browner shook his head. "On at 0800. Just one more thing we can thank Ms. Lilium for."

He threw a few credits down on the bar to cover their tab and the two of them headed out into the chilly Shanxi night. Even the colony's main spaceport was a real one-horse town to someone who'd grown up in New York City, and at 2300 hours, he wasn't surprised that they didn't encounter another soul until they were almost at the lot where they'd left their skycar.

"Hello, gentlemen. Perhaps you can assist me."

Even in the meager illumination provided by the streetlights, Browner could see that the asari was cute. Light blue skin, a good figure, and a perky pair of tits that her shirt was unbuttoned far enough to give him a nice sense of.

He smirked. "Sure, babe. What do you need?"

Alvarez shot him a skeptical look, but he just rolled his eyes. He was no alien-lover, but he was also a man, and at the end of a long day, this babe looked pretty damn good to him.

"I seem to have misplaced my rental car. I thought perhaps it was parked here, but I may have been mistaken."

"Oh, don't worry about that," he told her trying not to be too obvious about his leering. "We'll give you a lift and you can come back and find it in the morning. Trust me, our car is much…"

His sentence was cut off abruptly by a wave of excruciating pain that began in his back and tore through the rest of his body. His legs failed and his solid frame crashed to the ground, his muscles spasming. He wrenched his head in the direction of Alvarez, hoping for help, but the other man wasn't moving, instead trapped in a biotic stasis field that the asari had projected.

A female quarian in a purple suit was walking over towards them, and Browner tried desperately to control his twitching hand. There was a pistol at his side, and maybe if he reached it, he could get out of this mess. Every inch he moved took an agonizing effort, but it was a wasted one. The asari's shoe crashed down on his arm and as the suit rat raised up her neural disruptor, all he could think was, "Fuck me, why did I wish for more excitement?"

* * *

><p>"That was remarkably simple. I never realized how easily I could distract people."<p>

Ashley laughed at Liara's observation. "Yeah, once you show most men a pretty girl, they get fairly stupid in a hurry." She and Garrus picked up the two fallen soldiers, cuffing them and efficiently removing their weapons and equipment.

"Just men?" Tali's voice was bemused. "I think she can distract Shepard pretty well too."

Liara felt herself blush at the remark. Her recent, brief encounter with the commander remained vivid in her mind and in spite of the confusion she still felt about things between them, there was no doubt that it had been intensely pleasurable.

"Yes, well, we should get moving," Liara said quickly, trying to distract herself from the erotic memories and her friends from the entire topic. "The last thing we would want is to be stopped by the local authorities kidnapping two Cerberus soldiers."

She and Garrus loaded their prisoners into the trunk of their skycar while Ashley handed one of the men's omni-tools to Tali. "You're sure you can pull this off? Because if it doesn't work, we're going to be left standing in quite a pile of shit."

"Don't worry. I won't let Shepard down."

Liara could almost see the self-assured smile behind Tali's helmet, and she hoped that her friend's confidence was warranted. If Cerberus realized what they were doing too soon, they would kill Jack, and no matter how much the biotic had complicated Liara's life, that wasn't something she could ever wish for.

* * *

><p>"Ms. Lilium, we have a problem."<p>

"Hope Lilium" looked up from her terminal, flashing an irritable glare at Sgt. Heller. The little man was a nervous wreck, constantly fretting on about nothing of particular importance.

"What is it? More wildlife breeching the security perimeter? A clogged toilet in the crew quarters?"

"No, Ma'am. Two of our soldiers, Privates Alvarez and Browner, didn't report back for their shifts this morning."

"So? They're probably just passed out drunk somewhere. Dock their pay and make them pull a few doubles when they turn back up."

"I don't think that's it." Heller's throat twitched and she could see beads of sweat forming on his pinched face. It was possible this was more than his usual overreaction. "Corporal Liu reports that the security protocols on Browner's omni-tool have been triggered. Someone just tried to gain unauthorized access to it."

The Cerberus operative took a deep breath, shaking off her boredom and focusing her attention. While it was always possible that that idiot Browner had triggered the protocols himself while drunkenly fumbling with the device, this could be a real problem. "Do we have a location on the missing omni-tool?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The tracking signal places it inside a small rental property about a mile east of the spaceport."

"And who's renting that house?" _Must I think of every question myself? _God, she hated being stuck here, managing these second-rate imbeciles while Lawson got to order around Shepard and command the _Normandy_. The other woman had fucked up the Shepard assignment the first time; she should have been the one stuck here babysitting their tattooed freak of a hostage while Hope got the ship and the glory.

"I don't know," Heller admitted. "This has all been happening very quickly."

"Well, find out on the double. And get a squad over to there to retrieve it." _With any luck, they'll bag us a few of Shepard's friends here to rescue Subject Zero in the process. And if I'm very, very lucky, that will impress the Illusive Man enough to get me off of this useless flea speck of a world._


	20. Chapter 20

"It seems to be my fate on this mission to be used as the bait."

Across the comm link, Garrus laughed at her complaint. "Hey, it's not my fault a pretty girl makes for a good distraction."

Liara rolled her eyes as she approached the house. Even in the dark, she could tell that it looked perfectly ordinary, just another piece of new prefab construction on a moderately sized colony world. "Lt. Williams is perfectly attractive as well."

"Yeah, but I've got the sniper rifle," Ashley pointed out. "So I get to supply the covering fire. Now settle down you two, it's show time."

With a sigh, Liara walked up to the manor's thick oak door and gave it a knock.

"Go away, we're not buying whatever crap you're selling," came the gruff response a few moments later.

Thinking back to that day on Therum, she summoned up her best lost-and-frightened explorer voice. "Oh, I am so very sorry to disturb you. My sky-car crashed and this was the nearest house I could find. Perhaps you could just let me call the rental company. I would be ever so grateful…"

The door opened, the Cerberus soldier behind it curious enough to at least give her a closer look. It was the last mistake he would ever make. A split second after he became visible, his head exploded in a spray of blood and bone that only Liara's hastily raised barrier preventing from soaking her. As his body dropped to the ground, she got her first good look inside the house.

Superficially the interior was much like the exterior, of decent quality but entirely unremarkable. There were two more uniformed soldiers there though, playing cards across a small table in foyer. At the sound of the shot impacting, they rose, pulling their pistols out of their holsters. Before they could get a clear shot at the intruder though, Liara loosed a wave of biotic force at them, hurling the pair to the ground. While they lay stunned, she threw the doors wide open.

"Let's go," she barked across the comms and while her comrades rushed towards the house, she drew her submachine gun and opened fire. The shots caught one of the soldiers in the head as he attempted to rise and his body crashed back to the ground in a heap. The second man was able to dive behind the table but she ripped it out of the way with a tug of her biotics. Deprived of cover, he rose firing, but his shots were wild and her barriers deflected them easily enough.

A well-placed burst from Garrus as he charged inside put the second soldier down, Ashley following behind seconds later. "So far, so good," the marine noted, looking at the dead. She gave Liara a bemused smile. "See, that's why you make good bait. You seem so harmless."

* * *

><p>"What is it now?"<p>

Brooks groaned as she sat up in bed. Getting woken in the middle of the night seldom put her in a good mood, especially if it was the whiney voice of Sgt. Heller doing the waking.

"Ma'am, we have a perimeter breech."

"Fucking hell. Show me." She pulled up her omni-tool and seconds later, she was watching footage of Shepard's pet asari as well as a turian and a human she recognized from her briefing files as Garrus Vakarian and Ashley Williams storming through the base's ground floor.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get security up there and kill them." She thought for a second. "No, wait. Kill the human and the turian. The asari, I want alive." Two hostages were far better than one. If you only had one, you couldn't really execute them to show you were serious without losing all of your leverage. That was doubly true in this case, since the Illusive Man had given strict orders that Jack be kept alive until she came to term.

"Will do, Ma'am." Heller hesitated before he added, "We are a bit thin on base at the moment. Remember, we've still got a team out looking for our missing soldiers."

Brooks growled. _That must have been a damn diversion._ She began hunting around the room for the pieces of her armor. There was a reason she didn't leave her gear in the armory. "Fine. Do what you can to slow them down and get my team ready now. I'll lead the counter-assault myself. And tell the field unit to take their time getting rid of whoever they find with that omni-tool. This is rapidly ceasing to be amusing."

_They won't be back here in time to help anyway. I might as well send a message._

* * *

><p>"Base, this is Centaur 1. We're closing in on the target location. Any new intel to report?"<p>

"Negative, Centaur 1. Signal remains in place. 2nd floor, north face of the house. I do have new orders for you once you get there, though. Operative Lilium says no survivors and no easy deaths. I think she's pissed."

Sergeant Crowder grinned beneath his helmet. He knew there was a reason he'd joined up with Cerberus. The Alliance was all about rules and rights, insisting on treating whatever alien freaks the galaxy spat out like they were real human beings. It was bullshit if you asked him, which, of course, they hadn't. Instead, showing a little too much "enthusiasm" with a captured turian pirate had earned him a dishonorable discharge, but with Cerberus, his talents could be properly utilized.

His team crashed through the front door without resistance, and as they stormed up the staircase, Crowder started to wonder if they'd caught their prey napping. _This is almost too easy_, he thought. _A little fight adds savor to the rest of the entertainment._

His second in command gestured with his rifle in the direction of a closed door on their left. "It should be right in here, sir."

A swift kick of the sergeant's booted foot smashed the door open and in the infra-red light of his helmet's optics, Crowder could indeed see two people laying on the floor, piled in the center of the otherwise darkened room.

"Roll them." From beneath the pile, he was picking up a heat signature, probably from the captured omni-tool. But if it was still on, why was everyone asleep? Suddenly, doubt replaced his anticipation, the instinct of a solider who'd set a trap or two himself.

Corporeal Fuller kicked over one of the two bodies, and as the limp form rolled up onto its back, Crowder could see that instead of some enemy, the face belonged to the missing Trooper Alvarez. That wasn't what had his interest though, because right there on the floor, next to the omni-tool, was a small but intricately wired device that had just started beeping very loudly and very fast.

* * *

><p>"Found it." Liara turned her head at Garrus' words. The turian was using his visor to scan a wall panel with his visor that, to her eye, looked very much the same as those next to it. "I'm getting electrical readings coming from behind here," he explained. "Definitely looks to be a mag-lock."<p>

"Good work." Liara touched her omni-tool, opening up a connection to the final, absent member of their team. "Tali, Garrus should be linking you into Cerberus' system now. To start with, there's a door we need you to open. Then move on to the comms and try to find Jack."

"Will do, Liara." The quarian seemed very pleased with herself as she informed them, "The other squad took the bait. The explosion was pretty impressive."

"Don't go getting smug just yet," Ashley chimed in. "That was the easy part." In spite of the stress of the mission, Liara smiled at their banter. In the lonely years she'd spent tracking down the Shadow Broker, she'd nearly forgotten how much better it was to fight alongside friends she trusted rather than mercenaries who might betray her if a better offer came along.

"I know. I'm starting the hack."

Liara nodded and signed off for now. Combining the Shadow Broker's access to bleeding edge cyber-ware and intel on Cerberus' security protocols with Tali's skills, the second omni-tool they'd captured should enable them to control or disrupt many of the base's computer systems. _Should. Such things are never certain and Cerberus is cunning._

Seconds later, the wall panel slid open, revealing a set of stairs that lead down into the underground level of the base. From beneath them, Liara could hear the shrill blaring of klaxons. "It's fortunate we're not depending on the element of surprise."

"No," Garrus agreed, "We're the kind of idiots who like to let the bad guys know we're coming. Makes things more sporting."

Ashley joined them at the door. Even over the wailing of the alarms, the heavy booted footsteps of approaching Cerberus soldiers were becoming audible, and the marine cocked her rifle. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

><p>"On your six!"<p>

Liara spun around, hurling a warp in the direction Ashley had indicated before she could even see clearly who was approaching. The biotic bolt struck an oncoming soldier in the chest and the man crumpled to the ground. Due to the confusion of their attack, he hadn't had time to properly fasten his armor, and the loose chest-plate had provided scant protection against her attack. Indeed, thus far, resistance had been fairly light. Between the squad they had lured away and Tali's partial control over their systems, Cerberus hadn't put up much of a fight. Liara just hoped that the jamming of their comms prevented them from realizing that fact until it was too late to kill the woman they were here to rescue.

"Do you have a location on Jack yet?", she asked Tali, conscious once more of the need for haste.

"Not yet. Everything related to her has extra encryption walls around it. I'm working on a bypass, but it may take…" Tali paused as she processed incoming data. "You have more soldiers headed your way. Maybe 10 of them."

Liara closed her omni-tool. From down the central corridor of the base came the sounds of fresh footsteps, the aforementioned troopers rushing in to join the fight. As they came into view, she took particular note of the woman at their head. With her long, dark hair and brown skin, Liara suspected she might be the "Maya Brooks" who had been Zaeed's contact when he betrayed Jack. She also seemed to be a skilled fighter, at least if the way she slid low to avoid the first burst from Garrus' rifle was any indication.

Brooks' return shotgun blast sent Ashley scurrying for cover in one of the many side rooms that branched off of the hallway, and Garrus followed the marine seconds later as the rest of the Cerberus squad joined in the assault. Two of their shots impacted against Liara's barriers and she retreated as well but, somewhat separated from her friends, she made her way through a doorway on the other side of the corridor.

A sniper round from Ashley into the leg of one of the approaching soldiers encouraged them to pull back too, the Cerberus squad withdrawing to a defensive formation at the other end of the hall. While Liara took a moment to catch her breath, Brooks called out to her, her tone arrogant, with little of the strain of battle showing. "Nice of you to deliver yourself here, Doctor. Dealing with a hostile Shadow Broker could've been a problem for Cerberus, but as a prisoner, you'll be a very useful asset."

Liara tried her best to stay equally calm. "You are quite confident for someone who's lost a number of her soldiers already."

"There're more where they came from."

Before Liara could reply, Tali's voice cut in on the squad's comms, sounding slightly frantic. "There's some kind of security layer we didn't know about kicking in and blocking my hack. I'm trying to work around it, but I'm losing control of some of… Keelah, they're sealing the doors."

From outside her cover, Liara heard the harsh sound of metal slamming into metal, and she realized that it was Ashley and Garrus who were now sealed in, leaving her alone. The Cerberus troopers were starting to move forward once more and there was no way she could fight that many by herself. "Do you still have any access?"

"Some. I'm trying to force them back out of the affected systems, but…"

There wasn't time for that. The Cerberus soldiers would be on her in seconds. "Seal the door in front of me as well. Now."

Mercifully, Tali worked fast and the heavy metal door slammed shut in front of Liara moments before anyone else could come through it. Exhaling, she took a moment to look at the area she'd taken refuge in. It was yet another hallway, this one leading into a part of the base their team hadn't explored yet. Tali was silent for now, probably focused on fighting for control of Cerberus' systems. For now, Liara would have to make do as best she could on her own.

If the door opened again or was blow down, her position there wasn't very defensible and so she hurried along the corridor in the hopes of finding someplace better to either hide or make a stand. At its end was a ladder leading downwards and from the bottom of the shaft, she heard the sound of voices.

"… stuck here while everyone else gets to have all the fun," a man grumbled.

Another replied, "You're fucking stupid if you think that's fun. Those are Shepard's people we're dealing with. They…"

Without waiting for the two soldiers to finish their exchange, Liara floated down in a biotic bubble, opening fire on her enemies before they could react to her sudden appearance. The burst from her submachine gun struck home, but between their shields and heavy armor, they were only staggered, not subdued. Their assault rifles flashed in reply and the Shadow Broker groaned as the rounds slammed into her barriers.

She replied by hurling a powerful biotic bolt into the solider on her left, but even as he was thrown to the ground, the other one struck. Rather than bothering to reload, he swung his rifle like a club, slamming it into her weakened shields.

Driven to her knees, her gun flew across the small room and Liara only barely rolled out of the way of the next blow. Imitating her attacker's tactics, she manifested a biotic field around her fist and punched upwards. The impact tore through the soldier's chest-plate and she could feel his ribs crack as the metal was driven back into his body. He fell away from her, but before Liara could rise, the other soldier had regained his footing enough to fire a second burst at her. Her barriers couldn't absorb the full impact and a grunt of pain escaped her lips as her light armor cracked and one of the rounds pierced her side.

Ignoring through the pain, she focused her remaining biotic energy into a singularity. The enemy soldiers were yanked off of their feet, rendered temporarily helpless within its event horizon. As they floated, Liara yanked out her spare pistol and emptied her entire clip into them before reloading and doing so again. This was no time to take chances.

Once she was confident the two were dead, she now had time to appraise her injury. Her side pounded where she'd been shot, and drops of blood were trickling out onto her light armor, but thankfully the wound wasn't life-threatening. An application of medi-gel eased the pain and stopped the bleeding, and seconds later, she was ready to go on. The guards had been better equipped than most of the soldiers in the base, and she was curious to see what they'd been protecting.

The door in front of her had its own security panel but she was confident she didn't need to trouble Tali with it. Her own cracking programs were sufficient, and a few seconds later, the door slid open. The room that lay behind it was white and sterile, reminding Liara of a hospital, but this one only had a single patient. In its center, lying on a slab of a bed, her ankles, wrists and neck bound to the metal, and an IV running into her body, was Jack.


	21. Chapter 21

Jack groaned, her eyes blinking open as the scrape of the opening door pulled her out of a barely remembered nightmare and into a waking hell. She turned her head what little she could, expecting to see Maya Brooks come back to torment her once more. It wasn't the operative walking in, though. Even with her head blurry from whatever crap Cerberus was pumping into her system, there was no doubt that this woman was blue.

_An asari… Samara, maybe… _The woman approached the table and as she did, Jack was able to see her features more clearly_. Fuck me. It's Liara Fucking T'Soni._

"Get… get me out…" She knew she sounded weak and pathetic, the drugs making her words slur together, but she was past the point of caring. Right then, all that mattered to her was that Liara could get out of this.

_If that's why she's here._ The Shadow Broker had been pretty pissed off at her and Shepard after she'd found out they were screwing and maybe she'd rather eliminate the competition while she had the chance. _Fuck it. Even being dead is better than trapped here._

Liara was standing above her now and when her biotics flared, for an instant Jack feared that she really did mean to hurt her. Instead, the restraints around her arms and legs were torn off, one after the other. For the first time in what felt like years, Jack could move and the first thing she did was grab hold of the IV line. It hurt as she yanked it out, but the pain was welcome. It made her feel alive, a welcome contrast with the numbing fog the drugs had packed around her head. She went for the thing around her neck next, but Liara's hand caught hers before she could reach it.

"I wouldn't do that. I think that collar will explode if you try to remove it."

Liara's biotics manifested once more, and the links that held the collar to the table came off, leaving the damned piece of metal stuck around Jack's neck but no longer stopping her from rising. The biotic sat up, shaking her head as she tried to banish the cobwebs still enveloping it. There were a hundred things jumbled up in her brain, and she wasn't sure where to start, so she just said the first one that came to mind.

"Shepard? Is she…"

It only took her a second to realize that asking about the girl scout might not have been the smartest move just then, but Liara's expression remained calm. "She's not here. But she sent me to come and rescue you. We're not safe yet though. Garrus and Ashley Williams are here too, but we've been separated and there are still a lot of Cerberus forces trying to stop us. Are you able to fight?"

At the mention of Cerberus, Jack's fists clenched, her body shaking with weeks of pent-up rage. All she wanted was to pay those fuckers back for what'd they done to her, but right then, she was kind of limited. "I can't use my biotics with this piece of junk on my neck," she admitted, "But I can still shoot."

"Good." Liara reached into her long white coat and handed Jack a pistol. "And the drugs they had you on?"

Jack checked the gun. It was smaller than the Carnifex she liked to use, but it would do. "I clear out that shit pretty fast. Weird ass metabolism and all. Anyway, it's not the first time I've fought while I was fucked up."

Instead of responding, Liara opened up her omni-tool, and a second later, Jack heard Tali's familiar voice. "Liara, are you all right?"

"For now. I've found Jack and she's free, but we're still trapped inside the base."

While Liara continued speaking to Tali, the biotic took stock of her new situation. There was purple blood on the Shadow Broker's coat, and Jack wondered if she would've put herself through the same kind of danger if their situations were reversed. _For Shepard, yeah, probably_. _That woman really is something else._

Shaking her head at how sentimental she was becoming, Jack saw that Liara had finished her call. "Tali's been able to hack inside Cerberus' systems," the asari told her, "But they're fighting back, forcing open the doors that lead here. Garrus and Ashley are trying to get to us, but they probably won't be here in time to help."

Jack's face tightened. Adrenaline was banishing her remaining fuzziness, replacing it with a steely determination. "Okay then, blue. We make our stand here." The doorway and the narrow corridor in front of it made a decent enough chokepoint. Probably Cerberus thought it would make it easier for them to keep anyone from rescuing her.

There were two dead guards lying outside the room and while they stripped them of any useful weapons and supplies, she shot a glance in the direction of Liara's wound. "You okay there?"

"It is not serious. And you?"

She gave the asari a smile, trying to seem reassuring. "Sure. I'm always ready to kick some Cerberus ass."

As they took cover back inside her cell, she spared a final look at Liara. Flickers of biotic energy were playing around her body, and in that moment she had a fierce beauty, a strength that wasn't usually visible to a casual observer. When Jack had first heard about Shepard and Liara's past, she'd wondered how a warrior like her girlfriend could have been into some mousey scientist, but now, she could definitely see it. Down the corridor, she heard the shuffling and grunts of soldiers making their way down the ladder, and a low growl escaped her throat. _Bring it on, you sons of bitches._

The first trooper reached the bottom of the ladder, and Jack tossed one of the grenades they'd taken off of his dead comrades down the corridor. He instinctively flinched away from the metal sphere, but there was nowhere to go and the explosion not only blew him apart, but a second later, an additional corpse dropped down out of the shaft above him.

No sooner had they fallen though when another trooper dropped down, and when Jack hurled the other grenade she had at him, she saw too late the large metal box he was carrying. A powerful shield sprung into existence around the area, deflecting the brunt of the blast. The man returned fire with a heavy pistol, and while Jack ducked behind Liara's barriers, the asari fired a powerful warp blast that succeeded in knocking down the energy shield. By then, though, the engineer had begun to advance, and more Cerberus soldiers were pouring out of the shaft behind him.

Jack rolled back out shooting, but she didn't have her barriers for protection, and though Liara's own shields were able to provide her with some cover, she still had to be careful. A combination of the two women's guns and the Shadow Broker's biotics dropped a few more of the troopers, but once they'd gotten their bearings, Cerberus' heavy return fire forced them to retreat back into the cell, slamming the door behind them and sealing it.

"Fuck," Jack spat, as they hurried behind the only object in the room that might offer some cover, the table she'd been bound to minutes earlier. "These assholes really don't want to let me go."

"No. Listen, Jack. They've been using you to control Shepard, and they'll do the same with me if they can. Ashley and Garrus are coming, but we can't count on them getting through. Whatever happens, we cannot let Cerberus take us alive."

There was iron in the Shadow Broker's eyes as she spoke, and Jack nodded grimly. "Better dead than back on this fucking table, I guess. I'm just wanna make sure whatever happens, I kill that bitch Brooks first."

Liara offered up a bitter smile. "It will be my pleasure to help."

There was no more time to talk. The door in front of them blew off of its hinges and even while it crashed to the ground, Liara rose, hurling a singularity into the smoke. The first two soldiers were pulled from their feet and as they hung in mid-air, Jack sprayed down the whole area with her pistol. The two men looked pretty well perforated, but before she could think about shooting anybody else, her shoulder exploded in pain. She fell, clutching at the wound, even as more soldiers rushed through the doorway.

Thankfully, Liara wasn't done yet. From above her, Jack saw the asari throw another warp, and when it struck the singularity, a massive biotic detonation enveloped the Cerberus squad. While they were stunned, Jack jammed some of the medi-gel she'd liberated from a dead trooper into her shoulder. The wound still hurt like a son of a bitch, but at least she could move it for now.

One of the remaining troopers was circling around the table to get at Liara and Jack put two rounds in his knee before he realized she was crouching there. The armored man fell towards her and she leapt upwards, driving her good shoulder into his midsection. He crashed to the floor, and Jack added another two shots to his head, shattering his faceplate and filling the helmet with blood.

That got her Brooks' attention. The bitch had finally deigned to show herself, now that most of her flunkies had died softening the two women up. Unfortunately, Liara was still engaged with the soldiers who were left alive, leaving Jack to deal with her tormentor on her own.

Brooks' shotgun flashed and Jack threw herself to the right, just barely avoiding the blast that blew a dent in the wall behind her. She fired her pistol back, but she was off-balance and the shots were wild. Most missed, and the one that connected only grazed the operative's heavy armor. Jack tried to find her balance once more, but Brooks was too quick for that. Her booted foot crashed into Jack's sternum, sending the biotic toppling over onto her back. She grunted, and though she aimed a kick at her attacker's shin, a heavy greave absorbed the blow without much effect.

"You won't be so feisty without that leg," Brooks hissed, leveling the shotgun at Jack's knee. Before she could fire, though, Liara spun in their direction, a warp from the asari connecting with the operative and sending her sprawling away from Jack.

The Shadow Broker paid a heavy price for her assistance. One of the two remaining troopers took advantage of her distraction, emptying his pistol point-blank into her barriers. Liara fell to her knees, her face clenched tight from the strain of holding them up. She managed a final biotic strike against her attacker, but it took all she had left. One soldier fell but the other took his place, smashing his rifle butt into Liara and sending her toppling to the ground with a cut on her head.

Jack rolled up to a sitting position, only to find herself starring back into the barrel of Brook's shotgun. She could see Liara with a weapon to her head as well, the asari dazed and spent from her exertions, and the hope began to drain from Jack. _Guess that's it then. No way out of this except the hard one._

"Stop it, you two. We wouldn't you to hurt yourself any more than you already have."

Brooks' voice was poisonously sweet and the sound of it made Jack's blood boil. She wasn't afraid to die, but this bitch did not get to win, no matter how much pain Jack had to take.

Clenching her fists, she summoned her biotics and the reaction was instantaneous, starting in her neck, but not ending there. Every nerve in her body was on fire, an agony worse than anything even Jack had ever felt before ripping through her, but she didn't quit. Instead, she focused the pain outward into a primal cry that expanded until it became her whole world. She couldn't see or feel anything but this one horrible, perfect moment of rage that poured out of her before she collapsed its wake, crumpling to ground spent.

* * *

><p>Liara's head whipped around as the air surrounding Jack burst into brilliant light. Ignoring her brains' protestations of exhaustion, she summoned a final, feeble barrier, setting it against the wave that erupted out from the convict. The soldier holding the gun on her was caught up before he could shoot, the energy lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the wall with a crack. Liara was tossed backwards as well, but the blast hadn't been aimed at her, and she only caught the edges, weak enough that even her pitiful shield was able to save her from real harm. A few seconds later, she could move again, while her erstwhile captor was left twitching on the ground.<p>

A burst from her submachine gun put an end to that, and she turned her attention to the last enemy left standing: Maya Brooks. The Cerberus operative had been hurled by the force of Jack's biotics into the back wall of the cell, but her superior armor and shields had left her alive in spite of the powerful impact. She was dazed though, blood pouring out of a cut on her head, and she staggered, trying to find her bearings. Not wanting to let the opening go to waste, Liara turned her gun on Brooks. The other woman wasn't moving very fast and her attempt to dodge was on partially successful, several of the bullets embedding in her armor and one tearing away a chunk of her cheek.

Brooks had dropped her shotgun in the blast but she drew a pistol from her hip now, howling in incoherent rage as she fired back at Liara. The Shadow Broker dove behind the table, avoiding the wild shots easily enough.

"No more boasts?" Her voice was icy as she jammed a fresh thermal clip into her submachine gun.

"You fucking blue whore," Brooks mumbled, now bleeding from multiple wounds. "Gonna…"

Liara didn't let her finish. As Brooks stumbled towards the table, the Shadow Broker rose, emptying the entirety of her clip into her face. This time, there was no avoiding the shots, and the operative fell in a spray of blood, her final curses dying on her lips.

Once she was sure Brooks was dead, Liara let her legs give out from under her at last, falling to her knees and shaking from her final exertions. Her body felt like jelly. She'd expended too much energy in too little time, but she couldn't give in to the fatigue yet. Crawling over to Jack, she checked the tattooed woman's pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt it was still strong. She knew biotic shock collars weren't designed to kill their wearers, but she'd never seen heard of anyone fighting through one like Jack had just done, and she wasn't sure what the effect might have been.

Jack also had a bullet wound in her shoulder, but the medi-gel seemed to have stabilized that injury, and Liara hoped that a second round would bring her around. They still had to escape the base, and she didn't know what Ashley and Garrus' situation was. Steadying her trembling fingers, she opened her medi-gel dispenser, and applied the soothing substance to first to her own head and then to Jack.

An instant later, those big, brown eyes shot open, the biotic rocking back and forth and gasping for breath as she looked up at Liara. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she panted over and over again, the curse a mantra that seemed to settle her down. "That was…"

"…Very impressive." Liara finished Jack's sentence for her, wrapping a soothing hand around the back of the biotic's head to brace her as she shook. "You saved me."

Jack looked unusually abashed at the praise. "Well, you saved me first. So I guess we're even now or some shit like that."

_I suspect we will require a longer conversation before we really know where we stand_, Liara thought to herself, but that problem could wait for later. For now, she just said, "Fair enough," before opening up her comms once more.

Tali sounded positively overjoyed to hear from her. "Liara! You're okay!"

"More or less. We killed the Cerberus attackers including Maya Brooks, but I don't know how many more we can deal with."

"Don't worry. Garrus and Ashley should be meeting up with you in a minute or two. They took out the comm room, so I'm in full control of the base's systems now. We did it!"

In spite of her fatigue, Liara permitted herself a real smile at last. "Good. Now, we just need to tell Shepard she's free."

* * *

><p><strong>Next up, Shepard has to try and take back her ship. As a side note, I was surprised how many people thought Liara might kill Jack instead of rescuing her. Fortunately, my Liara isn't that renegade.<strong>


	22. Chapter 22

It was hard not to be tense. Shepard hadn't been told any of the details of Liara's mission in case Cerberus had hacked her communications, but the knowledge that somewhere, one of the two women she loved was risking her life to save the other was enough to add to the commander's already considerable stress level. Fortunately, her jailers didn't expect her to be in a good mood, so when she shot a sullen glare at Broderick as he lingered in the chow line, he didn't pay her any mind.

Eventually, the big man settled on some breaded chicken and she took his place, starring blankly at the offerings on display. The food wasn't bad; Cerberus tried a lot harder than the Alliance when it came to chow, but she wasn't hungry. She hadn't had much of an appetite since the mission to Bahak and Jack's abduction, but she knew she should try to eat anyway. It wouldn't do to be starving when it was time to act.

She still was trying to decide between the chicken and a passable looking lasagna when she got the message. Her omni-tool buzzed and she jumped to look at it, probably too quickly. It was most likely just Miranda or the Illusive Man with new orders for her, but hope was all she had, the hope that it was from…

_Sender: EDI_

_Message: Arachne has the package. The pick-up will be public soon. Prompt action is required._

Broderick turned, his attention drawn by the hitch in her breath. "What is it?", he asked. "You win the Thessian Lottery or something?"

She closed the program. "Not exactly."

He gave a derisive snort and turned back around, reaching for a piece of cake. That was all the opening Shepard needed. She grabbed the heavy pistol he always wore at his side, and before he could register what was happening, she fired three rounds into his spine. She hated sneak attacking like this, but there were five Cerberus operatives on the ship she had to neutralize and the element of surprise was one of the few advantages she had. Besides, remembering the savagery with which he'd torn into the batarians a few days earlier, it was hard to feel too bad about his fate.

The operative collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap and everyone else in the room froze. The rest of the people there were no threat; they were support personnel like Ken and Gabby, who did all of the thousand things that kept the _Normandy_ running, but they weren't soldiers. True, they were Cerberus employees, but most of them were more loyal to her than the organization, people she'd let stay on board after her previous coup.

"Don't worry, everyone," she told them, "Whatever happens, nobody should hurt you. Just go to your racks and stay there until you get a signal that this is over."

The crew members began to disperse, not keen to be caught in the middle of whatever was going on, and Shepard took a deep breath. Caught off guard, Broderick had been the easy one. The rest of the operatives would be ready for her and she had to keep one step ahead of them. Fortunately, she'd been planning for this.

She opened her comms up. "EDI, I need you to seal Joker in the cock-pit, and Doctor Chakwas in the med-bay." Those two were the members of the crew who'd been with her since before her death and she wouldn't put it past Miranda to take them hostage. "Also, lock down the AI core," she added, "And try to stop the other Cerberus personnel from moving around if you can manage it. We're re-taking the ship."

EDI sounded genuinely pleased at the news. "Very good, Commander. I suspected you might say that when I relayed Liara's message to you. Lockdown protocols have already been initiated."

"Great. Now, I need a path to the armory. Is anyone else down there?" She had Broderick's sidearm, and she'd been keeping a personal shield generator with her the last few days just in case, but she really needed her armor and heavier weapons to do this.

"Operative Taylor as well as 2 technicians. What do you wish me to do about them?"

"Nothing. I'll deal with them myself." She could have had EDI open the hanger doors and vent them into space, but the techs were non-combat personnel, and Jacob, whatever his allegiances, was with her at the Collector Base. Spacing him without warning was too much. "Just turn off the elevator lights. I don't want them to know I'm coming."

The elevators weren't exactly fast, but they'd never seemed to grind more slowly than right then. Shepard wished she could have given her crew some warning before she begun her little counter-coup, but the message EDI had relayed to her had been clear about the need for haste. As soon as the Illusive Man realized that Jack was free, he would've ordered Miranda to imprison or possibly even kill her. Shepard was pretty confidant she could take any of the five operatives on the ship, but not all of them at once, which was how they would've come at her if they'd had some warning.

When the doors finally opened, she saw Jacob getting into his armor by one of the weapons racks, while the two technicians were positioned on either side of the lift, trying to get it working again. They scattered as soon as she emerged, but the operative was another story. He spun around, leveling an assault rifle on her even as she aimed her sidearm at the center of his chest.

"What do you think you're doing, Shepard? You know what'll happen to Jack when Miranda finds out about this."

"Jack's safe, which is more than I can say for you if you don't put that gun down." She caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes, and she pressed it. "Listen, Jacob, you're a decent enough guy. You can't tell me that what Cerberus has been doing lately sits well with you."

"Maybe not, but I'm a soldier. Understanding exactly why we're doing what we're doing is above my pay grade. Look, I don't want to fight you but if I have…"

She hated herself for using his hesitation against him, but time was of the essence and it was too risky to do anything else. While he spoke, she looked left and moved right, unloading on him while she dove. His barriers were up but they were never as strong as Jack or Samara's and he winced under the impact of her shots, his return fire going wild.

He recovered fast though. A biotic field grabbed hold of the piled tools and weapons that lay around the cargo hold, hurling them at Shepard. A few of them slammed into her shields before she took cover behind the weapon's bench but once she was shook off the impact, she realized Jacob had inadvertently given her a gift. A couple of concussive grenades were among the detritus hurled at her and she armed one of them and threw it back. The operative rolled out of the way, but he only managed to partially evade the blast.

Using the opening she'd created, Shepard leapt out of cover, time seeming to slow as she closed the distance between them. Jacob picked himself up from the wall the grenade had knocked him into, but it was too late to evade her attack. The butt of her pistol crashed down on his still-unarmored head, and he clutched at it as blood poured down into his face. Jacob managed to throw a kick up at her, but she side-stepped his booted foot easily enough, and when her second blow slammed into his cranium, he went limp.

Once she was sure he was alive but out cold, Shepard put on her own armor and gathered up her weapons while she considered her next move. _That's Broderick and Jacob down, which leaves Rooker, Callis, and Miranda._ "EDI, what's the status of the other Cerberus operatives?"

"Operative Lawson is…" The was a scratching noise, like nails on metal as the AI's voice flickered in and out. "Lawson is…."

_Shit. _"EDI, are you all right?"

"Shepard… There… Interference…. Unknown…."

EDI's voice trailed off and Shepard cursed herself for having been so overconfident. _I should have known Miranda gave in too easily on the AI shackles issue. She must have hidden some virus in EDI's systems in case I tried something like this._

She was no engineer; the only thing she could do was take back the ship and either make Cerberus undo the damage to EDI or get Tali to try and fix the AI once she was back on board. Fitting the final pieces of her armor into place, she picked up her rifle, some more grenades, and a few extra thermal clips before heading back to the lifts. The comms were down, but thankfully, whatever Cerberus was doing to EDI didn't seem to be impacting the ship's basic systems yet and the elevator doors opened immediately when she pushed the call button.

Her first destination was the crew deck. Without EDI active, she had to assume the remaining operatives were loose and that the lockdown might be lifted, which meant Doctor Chakwas and Joker were in danger. _I just got out of one hostage situation, no way am I letting these sons of bitches put me in another one._

She didn't get very far off of the elevator, though, before hostages became the least of her problems. Before she could turn the corner to the med-bay, a flash of light caught her eye and the glowing, orange form of Rooker's drone came into view. Even as Shepard spun to get a better shot at it, the drone let out a pulse of energy. Shepard dove to the ground, but the blast still caught her shields, the muscles in her forearm spasming beneath her armor. Rolling back to her feet, she fired a burst into the center of the drone, temporarily disrupting its cohesion before dashing around the deck's large central support in search of its controller.

It wasn't going to be that simple. As she rounded the corner, Callis spun out to meet her, her heavy pistol leveled at the commander's torso. The slim blonde operative fired even as Shepard fell away from her, the bullet impacting into the commander's armor. She winced under the impact but still managed to kick at Callis' ankle and the operative's leg buckled, dropping her to one knee.

She steadied herself before she collapsed though, retaliating with her biotics. A powerful pulse leapt from her hand, hurling Shepard across the room and into the wall. Her head swam from the impact, and when she fired back, the shots were unfocused. Only a few of them struck home, stopped easily by Callis' barriers. The operative rose and fired again, but Shepard rolled out of the way successfully this time, the bullets slamming harmlessly into the deck next to her.

From the ground, she tossed a grenade back at Callis, but even as it flew through the air, Rooker's drone was reforming. There wasn't time to worry about that yet though, as she scrambled to get clear of the blast radius of her own explosive. A flash of light filled her vision, and before it could clear, a fresh attack from the drone struck the center of her chest. Pain started in her sternum and spread outward, making her limbs twitch even beneath her armor. Her rifle clattered to the ground, and she instinctively clutched at her chest. While she tried to regain her equilibrium, Callis struck again. Out of the smoke, the operative leapt at her, a biotic field enveloping her fist.

Danger focusing her, Shepard's own hands shot up to meet her attacker, and the momentum of the attack sent both women to the ground, with Callis landing atop the commander. Her face was streaked with soot, and there were burns on her body, but she was relentless, trying to press her glowing hand down into Shepard's chest. Her position gave her the better leverage and inch by inch, the commander's arms were being forced back. Her torso still hurt from where the drone had hit her, but if she let that blow connect, it would be a hell of a lot worse.

Just before Callis could plunge her fist into Shepard's chest plate though, the commander kicked upwards, the back of her knees making contact with her attacker's spine. Callis lost her balance, and Shepard threw her up and over her body, the operative landing on her back. She tried to flip back to her feet, but Shepard was a split-second faster. Her omni-blade slid out of its casing and with a growl, she whirled around, thrusting it into Callis' chest. The blade sliced through her ribs and into her heart, and the operative's mouth had scarcely opened in shock before it closed once more, her body slumping back to the ground.

No sooner was she dead though than Shepard had to dive to avoid the drone's next strike. Fortunately, she only caught the edges of the blast, and scampering back to her feet, she pulled out her pistol and two more shots in it's center disrupted the glowing ball once more. Rooker had to be nearby to controlling the drone and so Shepard turned back around the corner, finding the operative standing near the entrance to the med-bay, banging away frantically on her omni-tool.

As soon as she saw Shepard, she threw up her hands. "Please don't kill me," the brunette blurted out, evidently not so brave when actually face to face with an angry Spectre. "It was just a job, honest. I'm sorry about everything and about shocking you and…"

"Just stop it." She kept her gun trained on the engineer's head, but she didn't really want to shoot a surrendering prisoner. "What did you do to EDI?"

"It was Miranda. She had me upload the virus when you wouldn't let her put the AI shackles back on. It scrambles EDI's cognitive responses and severs her links to system command and control sub-routines."

"Can you disable it?"

"Yeah, with a little time. But Miranda has the override codes. That'd be faster."

Shepard shook her head. "Fine. I'll deal with you later, then."

Taking a pair of omni-cuffs out from her armor, she was in the process of securing the shorter woman to a nearby table when Miranda's voice cut in over the comms. "Shepard, stop what you're doing this instant. I have Joker, and if you don't surrender, I will kill him."

_Fuck. Right back where I started. _She took a deep breath, and decided that wasn't quite true. She'd come too far to give up now, and besides, Miranda didn't have nearly the kind of control over the situation that she'd had with Jack. As much as Shepard hated to risk it, it was time to play hardball. "No. You do what you think you have to, but I'm through taking your orders."

She made for the elevator to the bridge as Miranda snapped, "Do you think I'm bluffing, Shepard?"

Her voice was cold, but Shepard still wasn't sure she entirely believed the threat. "I'm not saying you couldn't do it, but I don't think you want to. Is this why you joined Cerberus? To put a gun on your own people, just so you could leverage somebody else into working for you against their will?"

Shepard stepped onto the lift, and there was a long pause before Miranda responded. "Sacrifices have to be made, Shepard. The Reapers need to be stopped, and it doesn't matter whether I enjoy doing what that requires or not."

Seconds later, the doors opened and the commander crossed the now-deserted CIC, heading towards the cockpit. Miranda was waiting for her there, standing behind Joker, her pistol pressed against his temple. The commander made no move to raise her own weapon yet. Jacob, she hadn't tried very hard to talk down, but he didn't have a gun to her crewman's head, and she still hoped she could get through to Miranda.

"Are you really certain stopping the Reapers is what the Illusive Man is all about? Sure, he wants them dealt with, but he also wants to be the king of the mountain when it's over. He spent billions to bring me back to fight the good fight, but then he had you stick a dick on me, just so he could control me, control my children."

Joker's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at her statement but she was more worried about saving his skin than what she was doing to his fantasy life.

"It's for the good of humanity," Miranda protested. "You are an asset towards that end."

"It's for the good of the Illusive Man. Forget the aliens; we're all human, and look what he does to us. Would you really want to live in a galaxy he ruled? Would you want your sister to live there?" There was a slight flicker of doubt in Miranda's eyes at the commander's words, but she didn't lower her gun, not yet, and Shepard continued. "We beat the Collectors, Miranda, and we did it together. All those people, from all those different species, working as one team is what took them down. That's what it'll take to have a chance against their masters, and it'll never happen if one man is trying to make everyone dance on their puppet strings."

Joker swallowed hard, concern for their situation blotting out his obvious desire to ask about her revelation. "I'd listen to her. Seriously, between Shepard and the Illusive Man, I'd pick Shepard to stop the Reapers every time. Look at what she's already pulled off."

Miranda ignored the pilot's comment, instead demanding, "What about the rest of the operatives? Did you kill them?"

She sighed slightly. "Callis and Broderick yes, but Jacob and Rooker are still alive and I don't want to have to kill anyone else. Undo what you did to EDI and I promise all of you can take a shuttle and go in peace. Please. Liara has Jack. It's over now. I'm not working for Cerberus any more, no matter what you do. All you can accomplish now is to make sure that more people die. Maybe it'll be you. Maybe me. Maybe Joker. How does any of that help humanity or stop the Reapers?"

Miranda had always been hard to read, but not this time. Her shoulders slumped and she lowered her gun, the mask of the ruthless operative dropping to show a rare vulnerability. "Very well. You… may have a point. I'm not saying you're right about the Illusive Man, but further bloodshed doesn't serve anyone's interests." She raised up her omni-tool and entered a quick series of commands. "There. EDI should be back to normal once her systems finish rebooting. Give her my apologies, and you as well, Joker. This was not about hurting you, only…" Her voice trailed off, the operative seeming unsure of how to finish her sentence, and instead she just turned to leave the cockpit.

Shepard let her go. She could see that it was more than a tactical problem that was making Miranda retreat. Her faith in Cerberus might not be gone, but it had been shaken. She wouldn't come after Shepard again.

"Sure, no problem," Joker quipped as the operative left. "I don't mind being used as a hostage. It's all in day's work." Shepard, though, barely heard him. Her arms fell to her knees, but even though her body ached and there were a hundred details to still to see to, one reassuring thought overrode all of that: _It's over._

* * *

><p><strong>Of course, it's not really over quite yet. We've got lots of personal problems to work out, so let me know what you think of these latest developments and stay tuned.<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

"Hello, Jack."

The convict looked up as Liara approached, the Shadow Broker bearing a tray stacked with pastries. Biotics consumed a great many calories, and given the lack of solid food she'd been given while Cerberus' prisoner, Liara suspected that Jack could use the snacks even more than she could.

Indeed, the convict was quick to snatch a up Thessian cream roll, shoving it in her mouth after a quick, "Thanks, Blue."

Liara set the tray down on a table in front of Jack's chair before taking a seat opposite her. Through the lounge's picture window, she could the stars rushing by, and she knew it wouldn't be long before their transport reached the mass relay. "We have just gotten word from the _Normandy_," she told Jack. "Shepard has retaken the ship, and she'll rendezvous with us after we jump."

The convict smiled in-between bites. "Great. Knew she'd kick those stupid Cerberus assholes back off for good."

"Indeed." It was touching in a way to see the faith that the distrustful Jack had come to place in the commander; it reminded Liara of how a young archeologist had come to rely on her too, what felt like a lifetime ago. "I thought that before the jump, we should take a few moments to talk."

"Yeah, okay." Jack finished off her pastry even as Liara picked up a roll of her own. The convict rubbed the spot on her neck where the shock collar had sat. Tali had removed it when they got back to the transport, but the affected skin was still red and sore. "Thanks again for saving my ass. I was starting to think I'd die down in that fucking place." She shook her head. "Hell, when you showed up, I wasn't sure if you were going to save me or shoot me."

Liara laughed a little at that thought before offering Jack a reassuring smile. "I realize we had not parted on the best of terms after Hagalaz, but I would never have done that. Not to Shepard, and not to you and your child."

"My what?!" The second pastry Jack had started in on dropped into her lap, spilling raspberry filling on the grey pair of sweats she'd borrowed, and a look of utter shock covered the convict's face even as an abashed one appeared on Liara's own.

'Oh, Goddess. I thought that Cerberus had told you this. You are pregnant with Shepard's child."

"But how? I was… Fuck!" Wisps of angry energy appeared around her body as she realized the answer to her question. "Those fucking Cerberus bastards screwed with my pills, didn't they?"

She nodded. "That is what the records they sent to Shepard indicated."

Jack buried her head in her hands, her rage collapsing into something deeper and sadder. "Fuck me. Jesus Fucking Christ. Why do they keep doing this shit to me?" She looked shockingly vulnerable in that moment, no longer a powerful biotic but instead just a young woman who's whole life had been defined by the malign intentions of an organization she had never asked to become involved with.

"I do not know," Liara confessed, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. It should have been strange to be comforting her rival for Shepard's affections, and yet, after what they had just been through together, she felt a connection to the convict, along with a real tenderness. "I know this must be terribly strange."

"No shit. I don't even know what the fuck I'm gonna…." Jack's voice trailed off, and when she resumed speaking, Liara could hear an unease in her voice. "Listen, the last time you saw Shepard, you were pretty pissed off at her. So, why'd you come and save me? Did you two…" Liara must have blushed at the question, because Jack knew the answer before she could decided what to say. "Fuck! You fucked her, didn't you? Was that the deal? That you'd save me and then I'd piss off and leave you two alone?!"

"No. That is not…" Liara hesitate. The truth wasn't exactly going to be easy to hear, especially not when Jack was already dealing with so much else, but hiding it wouldn't help either. That was what she'd told Shepard back on Ilium, and it was time for her to follow her own advice. "What I meant to say was that we slept together, but doing so was not the price of my assistance. I helped because I still care for Shepard, and because neither of you deserved what Cerberus was doing. As for the sex, do not blame her. I was the one who initiated it. It was… a difficult time for both of us, and we needed something to hold onto."

To her surprise and relief, that answer seemed to settle Jack down somewhat. The convict shook her head and laughed. "That's fair, I guess. I mean, that's how all this started. She was having trouble, I gave her a little pick-me-up fuck, and now you went and did the same thing. It's not like we said it was exclusive anyway." Jack ran her hand through hair that had grown somewhat longer since the last time Liara had seen her. "So what the fuck happens now?"

"I do not know," Liara admitted. "I told Shepard at the time that I wasn't ready to make that decision. But now, I think we need to work this out. The Reapers are still coming, Jack, and in order to help save you, Shepard became a fugitive from the Alliance. Things are going to be very difficult soon, and she will need some resolution in her personnel life so she can focus on the larger picture. We all will, I suspect."

"Yeah, no shit," Jack agreed. "Especially now that I'm knocked up. Fuck, Liara, time was, I'd have gotten rid of it without a second thought. But Shepard's kid, I don't know… She's special. I don't want to lose her. Not like you do either, I guess."

Liara took a deep breath. She could hear the fear in Jack's voice, the same one that Liara had wrestled with herself: the fear of someone who wasn't sure of their own desirability that they would lose the one person they cared for most. It seemed highly likely that this would end with one of them in tears. _But maybe it's not inevitable_, she thought suddenly. _Maybe there is another way._

"No, we do not. And you're right. She is a remarkable woman." She paused, summoning her courage before she continued. This was not going to be easy, but it felt strangely right. "Jack, when I was with Shepard, when we joined, I was able to see much of what she was feeling. She loves both of us. The position that she has put us in… She feels dreadful about it. We can certainly force her to chose, if that is what we want. Or, before we see her again, the two of us can devise another solution."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Liara gave the biotic her best smile. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

><p>When the shuttle bay doors opened to admit the small but high quality transport ship onto the <em>Normandy<em>, Shepard held her breath. Even with all of the reunions she'd already experienced in the months since her resurrection, this one was special. Jack, Liara… Seeing Ashley for the first time since Horizon, to say nothing of Garrus and Tali… She wasn't even sure where to begin.

Circumstances made her choice for her. As soon as the door opened, Jack rushed out, throwing herself into the commander's arms and squeezing hard enough to leave her winded. "Fuck, Shepard," she chocked out, tears that the commander was not used to seeing welling up in her eyes, "I thought I'd never see you again."

She gave Jack a gentle kiss, her own voice breaking as the reality that her lover really was alive and free sunk in. "I… I'm just glad you're safe." Behind her, she could see the rest of the crew starting to disembark, and she added, "Thank you. All of you. I'm sorry that you got dragged into this mess and I don't know what I would've done without your help."

Garrus nodded. "Hey, don't worry about it. You've had our backs plenty of times. This was just our turn to have yours."

"Yeah, skipper," Ashley agreed. "I think you've earned a little help."

She managed a smile, brushing aside her own tears. "So, does this mean you trust me again, Ash?"

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, well, I think it's pretty clear you're not with Cerberus anymore, ma'am."

Jack stepped out of her arms, letting Tali give Shepard a hug as well. "Keelah!", the quarian laughed, "Just promise not to throw us off of the ship again and we'll call it even."

She managed a smile. "I'll do my best."

And then it was Liara's turn. The information broker had been the last one to leave the transport, and she walked up to Shepard even while Tali withdrew. "And we are glad you're all right too. It was not easy leaving you in Cerberus' clutches." She planted a kiss on Shepard's cheek, and the commander winced, not because she didn't appreciate the gesture, but because Jack was standing right next to her.

The outburst she expected never came though. Instead, the convict just muttered, "Fucking fascist bastards," and then gave an approving nod when Liara said, "Once we're settled in, perhaps the three of us should speak in your quarters."

This strange accord between the two women left Shepard puzzled, and so she just said, "Okay, sure," and turned to Ashley in an attempt to change the subject. "It's really good to see you again, Ash. Are you on leave from the Alliance?"

"That was the plan, but…" She paused. "If you'll have me back, I'd like to stay here. The Alliance still has their heads up their asses when it comes to the Reapers, and from everything Liara told us about what happened at Bahak, there's no more time for that shit. This is where the action is going to be, and I want to be here too."

Shepard gave her old friend a hug, the mystery of her two lovers' comity momentarily set aside. "You're always welcome on my ship. And you're right; I'll need all the help I can get."

"Come on," Garrus offered, "Why don't Tali and I give you the tour? Cerberus may be a gang of murderous racists, but they do build a pretty nice ship. Besides, I think Shepard's going to be otherwise occupied for a little while."

As Ashley headed off with Garrus and Tali, Shepard wondered if she'd been safer with the aforementioned gang, but it was far too late for such worries now. She followed the two biotics to the lift, biting her lip nervously as they stepped inside. The whole way up, the feeling that something was off only grew stronger. Neither of her companions said anything, which was unusual enough in itself, and she could have sworn there were a series of glances being exchanged between them.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors slid open and Liara gave her cabin a brief, admiring inspection. "Truly, this is a vast improvement over your old quarters on the _Normandy_."

Jack chuckled. "Heh, yeah. Certainly beats sleeping down by the engine room too."

Shepard was too nervous to laugh along at the remarks. As relieved as she was that the women she loved were safe, she still had no idea what she was going to say or do now that they were alone. Liara, though, seemed more at ease, guiding her over to the couch and motioning for her to sit down while giving Jack a quizzical look that Shepard was now certain did mean something.

"All right," Jack said in response to an unasked question, "Let's do this shit."

"Do what?"

Liara gave Shepard a wry smile, the sort that made you think that she knew a secret you didn't. Which, given that she was the Shadow Broker, she probably did. "It has not been an easy few months," she began, "For any of us."

"I know, and I'm so sorry about that. I never meant to put you in this position. Either of you." She rubbed her forehead. "I really don't know what to do."

"That's because you're a big, dumb girl scout."

She looked over at Jack, unsure of how much Liara had told her about what happened on Ilium. "After everything I did, you still believe that?"

"Sure. I mean, yeah, you and your dick have made a few sketchy choices, but if you were really such an asshole, you wouldn't feel like shit about them."

"Then you know…"

"That you fucked Liara, yeah. But we never said you couldn't, and anyway, you saved my ass. Or at least got Blue to do it for you while you strung Cerberus along."

"And that gave Jack and I a chance to know each other, and me the time to better appreciate our situation," Liara added. "The last time we spoke, I told you that you had been foolish with me, and that was true, but you are not the only one who's made choices without fully understanding them. Jack knew nothing of our history when she decided to sleep with you. I didn't realize what Cerberus had done to your body, and you didn't know how to deal with that, or how I would react when I learned the truth. If we were to do things over, I imagine we would all of us make different choices. But we are where we are."

Shepard sighed. "I would. And now, I just… I don't want to hurt either of you. But I don't know how not to."

Liara's reached out to her, her hand coming to rest on the Spectre's cheek. "Let me finish."

The asari's touch was calming, and Shepard took a deep breath. "Okay. Just…"

"Trust her, Shep." Jack came and sat down next to the commander on the couch, putting a hand on her knee. "This is worth a listen."

"You're afraid we're going to make you chose," Liara told her. "And in the process break one of our hearts, which you are loathe to do. I suppose that would be the normal thing in this situation. But we are not normal people, and these are not normal times. You really do love both of us. I saw that when we joined. And we love you. So perhaps, the three of us can make this work together."

Shepard knew her mouth had fallen open, but as what Liara had just said sunk in, words refused to come out of it. Instead, she could only stare in shock. Jack, on the other hand, clearly knew this had been coming. She patted Shepard's knee, and asked her, "Close it, babe, or something'll fly in there. Are you up for this or not?"

The commander took a breath and tried her best to speak. "I… That's incredibly generous. But it doesn't seem fair to the two of you, to make you… Just because that's what I'd want."

"See," Jack laughed, "What'd I tell you? A big ol' girl scout."

Liara sat herself on Shepard's other side. The Spectre couldn't escape the feeling that she was being penned in by the two other women, but it wasn't at all an unpleasant sensation. "It is true that Jack and I are not close in the way that you are with both of us, but that doesn't mean there is not an appeal for us as well. Recent events have helped us to form our own bond."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Plus, a hot asari who can kick some serious ass? Doesn't exactly sound like a fucking hardship to me."

Liara blushed slightly at the compliment, a reminder of the shy archeologist Shepard had first met. "Thank you, Jack. And there is something quite compelling about you as well. A… forcefulness, I think. It reminds me in a way of Shepard." She wrapped her hand around the back of the Spectre's head, her touch affectionate. "I am not saying this arrangement will be without its complications, but I also believe it has a great deal to offer to all of us."

Shepard looked back and forth between her two lovers, both of whom were grinning at her shock. "God, I can't believe you two really planned all of this out on the way back here."

Jack's fingers trailed up her leg, and in spite of herself, Shepard couldn't feel a little stirring in her cock at the sensation. "You are kinda dense," the convict pointed out. "We couldn't exactly wait for you to figure this shit out on your own."

The commander smiled, the knot in her stomach unclenching as she accepted her intriguing new situation. "I never stood a chance, did I?"

"Not at all," Liara agreed, running her hand through the commander's long, red hair. "You have gotten yourself into this mess, and now, you will just have to live with the consequences."

* * *

><p><strong>And there it is, the big reunion. I imagine some of you will like this outcome, and others will be disappointed, but it's what I've been planning from the beginning, and I hope it was well-executed. Next time, some smut, and more of what Liara and Jack are thinking about this new arrangement. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	24. Chapter 24

_The Day Before_

"I think that, perhaps, we could agree to share her."

Jack's eyes widened as she absorbed the idea. She wasn't necessarily opposed to it, but hearing the words coming out of the innocent-looking Liara was still pretty damn surprising.

_I've really gotta learn to stop underestimating that girl._

Liara, in turn, looked amused by her surprise. "After all that we've been through these last few months, it hardly seems like the most absurd proposal."

Jack let out a snort. "Ain't that the truth. Fuck it, I mean I've already been knocked up by the magic space cock Cerberus stuck on my girlfriend. Compared to that, a little three-way's almost normal. I'm just not sure about… Look, you don't know me real well, but I've never been with anyone like Shepard before, anyone I gave a shit about. I don't know how it would make me feel to see her fucking someone else."

"It is a strange thought for me as well." Liara finished off the pastry she'd been nibbling at, brushing the crumbs away with her napkin. "Shepard is the first person I have been with at all. I love her very deeply. But it is partly because of that love that I'm proposing this. If she has to make a choice, it may be that your heart gets broken. It may be that mine does. But whatever the decision, I know that hers will be."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jack remembered the pain her lover had been after the fight with Liara on the Shadow Broker's base. She'd told herself at the time that Shepard didn't want to hurt her ex, even as a part of her feared it was Liara she really wanted. Now, however, that first one seemed more likely. Shepard was a total softie.

"Here's the problem, though, Blue. I've seen a lot of crap in my time and this kind of thing, sharing a girl, I'm pretty sure it won't work if it's just you and her and me and her. We'd end up fighting over who she wants more, and pretty soon, one of us would get warped through a bulkhead or some shit like that. We gotta…"

She hesitated. What she was about to propose had seemed like a good idea when she came up with it, but now that she had to say it out loud, she wasn't so sure. Shep at least was a soldier. She knew about the ugly parts of life, the parts Jack had grown up with. Liara had pretty badass moves, no doubt, but she was also some kind of fucking asari duchess. Could she really want somebody like Jack?

_Screw it. The only way to know is to ask, right?_

"I think it'd have to be us too. With each other."

Liara's reaction was surprisingly subdued. "An interesting theory."

Taking heart from the fact that she didn't seem disgusted, Jack continued. "Look, it's not a problem for me. You're fucking gorgeous, and you can kick some serious Cerberus ass. Who wouldn't wanna hit that? But I'm kind of a messed-up bitch. I'm lucky I found one person who can put up with my shit. I'd get if you didn't want to go there."

Jack had not expected the dark blush that spread across Liara's face. _Damn, she looks cute when she does that._ "I appreciate your candor, Jack, and in that spirit, there's something I should admit to as well. You know that I found out about your relationship with Shepard, but there was more to my discovery than just knowledge. In the Shadow Broker's files, there was a video."

"Damn! Of us fucking?"

"Indeed. It was your first time with Shepard. I suspect that Miranda was the original source, though I cannot prove it."

"So the cheerleader was perving on us? That's kinda twisted."

"I hope the idea of being watched doesn't bother you too much," Liara replied, that blush returning, "Because I viewed the video. All of it. I told myself that I wanted to know what had happened to Shepard, that I was concerned about her. And I was. But I was also intrigued. By the way that she looked making love with her new cock, but also by you. There was an intensity to the two of you together that I found quite… compelling. You're right that you are not the sort of person I would normally imagine myself becoming involved with, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be open to learning more."

"Really?" Jack ran her tongue over her lips, trying her best to process this new information. The image of this sexy asari getting off watching her with Shepard was a definite turn-on, and her reservations about Liara's proposal were rapidly melting away. "Okay, then. I guess we're both in. So how do we do this? 'Cause I got no fucking clue."

Liara gave her a small smile. "I do not either. I imagine we will just have to talk to Shepard. I think that a united front may help to convince her that we are genuinely interested in this."

"Yeah, you know she'll be a big old girl scout about the whole thing. All, 'You don't have to do this for me. I don't deserve it.' That kind of shit."

Liara laughed, the tension of the moment broken. "No doubt you are right. She has saved the galaxy more than once and still doubts she deserves the acclaim she gets. Why should her personal life be any different?" Jack laughed along with her, and Liara continued, "There is one other thing. I think that before we bring this proposal to Shepard, we should experiment a little bit together. Nothing too much, but enough to be sure that we do have some kind of connection before we get her hopes up. Are you amenable?"

Jack's heart started beating a little faster. She'd definitely meant what she'd said about finding Liara sexy, and after all the horror she'd just endured, a little physical comfort sounded pretty damn good.

She only managed to get out a, "Shit, yes," before Liara leaned over and kissed her. The Shadow Broker's lips were soft and the first brush of them gentle, but beneath was a definite fire. As the kiss deepened, Liara grabbed the back of Jack's head, pulling her closer, and she returned the favor, gripping the ridges of Liara's crest. She'd heard they were sensitive, and when she caressed them, the asari whimpered into her mouth. Liara tasted like sugar and honey, and the feel of her passion made Jack's whole body thrum with excitement. Her skin tingled and between her legs, a low ache began to build, but before it could go too far, Liara pulled back.

"I think we can call that a successful test." The asari was panting as she spoke, and all Jack could managed was a nod back. Liara's proposal was starting to look less like a compromise, and more like it might be a very, very good thing for all of them.

* * *

><p><em>The Present<em>

"Stay right there, Shepard."

Liara accompanied her order with her best "Shadow Broker" face, and the commander did as she was told, remaining reclining on the bed while her lovers stood at its foot.

"So I'm just gonna watch?", Shepard asked, a disappointed note creeping into her voice.

"Not forever," Liara teased. "But you have been quite… active, shall we say, and a little patience while Jack and I get to know each other better might do you good."

"So just lay back and enjoy the show, cutie." Jack winked and then she grabbed Liara, pulling her closer. The Shadow Broker had been thinking about their earlier kiss since the previous day, and she was not disappointed by this next one. They made it last a good, long time, their hands beginning to explore each other's bodies as she drank in Jack's hot mouth.

The convict was considerably smaller than the well-built Shepard, smaller too than Liara herself, but her body was quite appealing, lean and tightly muscled. She was still wearing the sweats they'd given her on the transport, and Liara slid her hands underneath them, caressing the warm skin. Jack raised her arms, and Liara took the invitation, lifting the garment up over her head. She had nothing on beneath it, and Liara took a moment to admire the colorful tapestry of tattoos that decorated her nude chest.

"These are fascinating," Liara remarked, running her fingers along the patterns. "We asari get them sometimes as well, but I have never seen such extensive designs."

Jack gave her a tentative smile, seemingly unsure of what to do with such praise. Beneath all of her bravado, Liara realized that they shared some of the same insecurities. Jack had been with far more people than Liara had, but she still feared that people were only using her, that they didn't want her for who she was.

Liara leaned in for another kiss while her hands explored Jack's body. Her new lover's breasts were small, but that just meant that they fit perfectly in Liara's palms. The nipples were stiff little points, and when they were stroked, Jack moaned into the kiss. Dimly, Liara was aware of Shepard watching them, her breath speeding up at the sight in front of her. She felt a flutter of nervousness about being watched, but she couldn't deny that it was thrilling too, an erotic charge running through her at the idea of being the center of such intense interest.

Jack unbuttoned Liara's long, white coat, tossing it carelessly onto the floor of Shepard's cabin. She then moved on to her shirt, but the buttons there were smaller, and after making it through two of them, Jack let our a growl of frustration. "Fucking pain in the ass."

A biotic glowed flared up around Liara. "Allow me." She tore the shirt the rest of the way open and threw it on the ground. Jack's looked at her in surprise, but Liara only smiled. "I have plenty more." She unfastened her bra as well, adding it to the growing pile and letting Jack have free access to her breasts.

"Real nice rack, Blue," she whistled, and she bent down, lavishing first one full orb and then the other with kisses and little bites. Liara tangled her hands in Jack's short hair, bending her neck backwards as she was pleasured. The convict may not have loved her the way Shepard did, but she definitely wanted her, and it was a feeling Liara was very much enjoying. She guided the two of them towards the bed, Shepard scampering out of the way as the pair approached.

Liara lay down on her back and Jack followed, her mouth roaming over the bare expanse of skin available to her. Liara sighed happily at her touch, but when she saw Shepard's awed, dazed expression, it momentarily grabbed her attention. She reached out, brushing a hand over the commander's freckled cheek. "Just hold on a little longer. I promise we won't forget you."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "You'll get yours too." She patted Shepard's groin and beneath her pants, Liara could see the commander's erection straining. The one time they had been together since Shepard's resurrection had been rather rushed, and Liara looked forward to a more thorough exploration of her altered body. Not yet though. While she and Jack would each get time with Shepard to renew their own connections, now it was important that they do this together.

As well as pleasurable. Jack had resumed moving downwards, crossing the plane of Liara's stomach and unbuttoning her pants. There was a dark spot on her white panties and the convict ran a finger over it. "So, I've never been with an asari before, but this is still a good sign, right Shep?"

Shepard's voice was tight as she replied, her green eyes burning into the two of them. "Uh, yeah, definitely."

"Glad to hear it." Jack slid down Liara's panties, but though the Shadow Broker moaned softly at the sensation of hot breath on her azure, it was the convict's fingers that she got to feel first. A pair of them slid inside her, and her body clamped down, hungry for the penetration. In the last two years, she'd only had that one, brief encounter with Shepard and she needed more. Jack went slowly at first, but once she'd gotten a feel for Liara's body, she began to thrust. Her motions were rougher and more insistent than Shepard's, but she definitely knew what she was doing. With each push of those fingers deep into her core, Liara felt a little of her tensions melting away, replaced with a much-needed pleasure that was rapidly spreading throughout her body.

"Your mouth too," she murmured, brushing her fingers over Jack's face. "Use your mouth."

"Sure thing, Blue." Jack dipped her head down, and Liara gasped as her clit was pulled between the convict's full lips. A hard suck was followed by a series of strokes with Jack's tongue and Liara lay back into the soft mattress, giving herself over to the blissful sensations. With one hand, she was rubbing her own breasts, pinching the stiff nipples atop them, when against the other, she felt a sudden touch. Shepard's fingers were probing against her own and when she saw the want in her commander's face, she opened her hand, letting their digits interlace. Shepard squeezed tight, and Liara brought the fingers up to her lips, giving them a reassuring kiss.

"You're so patient, my love."

Even if she'd wanted to say more, she couldn't have. Jack's fingers pressed against her front wall and when she made another harsh sucking motion around the Shadow Broker's clit, coherent thought fled. All Liara could manage to do was cry out, gripping Shepard's hand even harder. In the back of her head, the urge to meld was building, a buzzing pressure that grew more insistent by the second. She didn't require it to climax, but after the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on, she desperately craved the increased intimacy and intensity the joining brought.

"Jack," she gasped out, forcing herself to form the words in spite of the distraction, "I need the meld…"

Shepard leaned down and placed a kiss on Jack's cheek. "If you want that, it's fine with me. Otherwise, I'd be happy to."

Rather than stop what she was doing, the convict just gave a little nod. It was all the encouragement Liara needed. She practically screamed out her, "Embrace eternity," and clutched Jack's head before letting her thoughts fly out to her. For their first time together, she tried to focus the joining on the physical, but it was hard to miss the echoes of Jack's pain. Liara and Shepard had both experienced more than their share of hardships, but the years of trauma Jack had endured were still beyond her experience. Fortunately, that pain wasn't at the forefront of her thoughts, though. Most of what Liara was getting was desire, a heady mix of attraction and a startled, but enthusiastic reaction to the sensations Jack was now sharing.

_Fuck, that's… Wow. I can feel everything. It's like I'm eating myself out._

_It is incredible, _Liara agreed, the ragged edge of her need only pushed higher by sensing Jack's enjoyment of her body, _but please, don't stop._

_No way._

Jack's tongue slid over Liara's bud once more, and an instant later, it was joined by the ghost of fingers pressing against the convict's clit. Jack had shoved a hand down her pants in an effort to compliment the mental pleasure with a physical one, and it didn't take long after that. Only a few more thrusts of Jack's fingers, and a final press of her tongue were needed, and Liara was thrown over the edge. Her hips bucked against her lover's mouth, her release gushing over her fingers as they rode out wave after wave of their shared orgasm.

Through the haze of pleasure, she was dimly aware of Shepard laying next to them, one hand still gripping Liara's own while the other stroked Jack's body. "Jesus, you two," she mumbled, her mouth open in awe, and Liara couldn't help herself any longer. Leaning up, she caught the Spectre's eager lips for a kiss, drinking in her hunger. It was easy to feel just how difficult waiting had been for Shepard, and how much she wanted them.

While the kiss slowly broke, Jack looked up from between Liara's legs. She licked her lips clean of the residue of the orgasm with relish, before declaring, "Holy fuck. That's... something different."

"It is. And you did beautifully with it. Thank you." Liara bent down and gave her new lover a kiss to compliment the one she had just bestowed on Shepard. This one, though, was softer, a recognition of a pleasure already received rather than a promise of ecstasy to come.

"Hey, it's easy to be generous when you get some of it back."

Liara purred. "Indeed. And speaking of generosity, I believe Shepard could use some now."

Jack smirked back. "Happy to help." She ran her hands over the seam of Shepard's pants, heading up towards the considerable tent her cock had made. "So, who's gonna get the first ride?"

Liara kissed the side of Jack's neck. "Go on, Jack. You've certainly earned it." The meld had left her temporarily drained anyway, while the convict had mostly just shared her orgasm, something Liara knew from experience could leave behind a hunger for more. _Besides_, she thought, looking at the fire burning in Shepard's gaze, _I'm sure she'll have plenty of energy for both of us._

* * *

><p><strong>After all that build-up, one chapter isn't enough for all the smut, so stay tuned for more, along with some other resolutions. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	25. Chapter 25

Shepard let out a gasp as Jack climbed on top of her. The convict had already yanked off her own sweats, and now her bare sex was grinding against Shepard's still-covered erection. Watching the other two women make love had pushed the commander to a level of desperate arousal she hadn't felt since her first encounter with Jack months earlier. This time, though, her desire wasn't mixed in with a metric ton of shame, and she was eager for what was coming next.

Jack unbuttoned the commander's slacks and yanked them down along with her boxers. Her cock sprang free but surprisingly, it wasn't the convict's hand that gripped it. Instead, it was Liara who wrapped her warm palm around the length.

"It really is remarkable work," the asari observed, her hand sliding up and down the shaft, seemingly heedless of the sensations she was sending through Shepard's body. "If I didn't know better, I would swear you'd been born with it."

"Yeah, I guess Cerberus is better at making cocks than fighting us," Jack smirked.

Shepard might have said something more coherent in response, but when Liara planted a wet kiss on her tip, all she could manage was a mumbled, "Fuck, I missed you both."

"I bet you mostly missed the sex," Jack laughed, but the longing underneath her words was obvious. As hard as the convict's capture had been on Shepard, she couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Jack to be back in the hands of the people who'd tormented her for so many years.

Shepard gripped Jack's hip, trying to let her physical presence settle her down. "You know that's not true… Listen, about what happened to you, I'm so sorry. I promised I wouldn't let anyone take you."

"Don't beat yourself up, girl scout," Jack insisted, "You weren't there when Zaeed stabbed me in the back, and you did what you had to save my ass. A lot of people would've left me to rot."

"Never."

"I know." Jack bent down and gave her a hard kiss, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth. "Now, are we gonna do this or what?"

"Definitely." She lifted Jack's small frame up easily, guiding her onto her waiting erection. The convict was already plenty wet from her sympathetic orgasm with Liara, and though she was as tight as ever, it wasn't long before Shepard was able to slide all the way into her. The clinging pressure was enough to make her tremble, her body longing for release after tensions of the last few weeks and the show she'd just watched.

There was no way she was going to let herself blow so quickly though, especially not on a special occasion like this. Thankfully, since her first time with Jack, she'd learned some self-control and she bit her lip, willing her lust back under control. Her first few thrusts were slow, letting her savor the feelings without having them overwhelm her.

Jack, by contrast, was as eager as usual. Her hips pushed hard against Shepard's own, and her hands ran up and down the commander's body, tracing paths from her stomach to her firm breasts and back again. Nor was she the only one so inclined. While Liara mostly seemed content to watch, one of her hands drifted along Shepard arm as well, caressing her affectionately.

"Does she feel close already?", the Shadow Broker asked Jack, hunger and humor mixing in her voice. "From her face, she seems close."

"Oh yeah," Jack groaned, gyrating frantically on top of Shepard's cock, "She's pretty fucking hard."

"Mm, let me feel it too." As Shepard continued to slide in and out of Jack, Liara's slim fingers brushed over the place where the thrusts revealed part of the shaft. Her teasing touch felt exquisite, especially when combined with the other sensations she was feeling. "So she is," Liara agreed, before shifting upwards to Jack's clit. "And so is this." The bud was already peeking out from its hood, and Liara rubbed little circles on it, drawing a scream of pleasure from the convict.

"Fuck, you're naughty, Blue," Jack panted out when she found her words again.

"She's definitely dirtier than she looks," Shepard agreed. She gripped Jack's hips more firmly and sped up her motions. Liara's help was rapidly moving the convict towards the brink, giving Shepard permission to let go of her own coiled passions as well. Liara too sensed where this was going, and she pressed more firmly against Jack's clit, making the convict's pussy tighten around Shepard.

"Goddamn it, Jack," she murmured, "Feels like you're pulling it right out of me."

Jack didn't reply with words, instead just letting out more cries of pleasure. Her body was responding clearly enough though, spilling wetness out onto Shepard's groin with each thrust. Liara was not so constrained. "Then go on, love," she purred. "Jack's certainly close enough to join you. Aren't you, Jack?"

"Oh, fuck, yes!" The convict was riding Shepard even more frantically now. It only took two more thrusts before she stiffened, throwing back her head as she climaxed. The sight made the commander give up any remaining restraint she'd had and seconds later, she was coming too, emptying her massive, pent-up lust in a long series of blissful pulses.

Even after peak, she found it hard to stop, making little pumping motions inside Jack, and while she did, Liara planted a kiss on her cheek. Her hand stroked the commander's forehead until, at last, Shepard slumped down into the mattress, momentarily spent. Once she had, Liara turned her attention to Jack, sitting up and pulling the convict in for a long kiss.

"Thanks for the assist," Jack laughed when it broke. "It was pretty sweet."

"My pleasure. There didn't seem to be any reason I couldn't make a small contribution to your time together."

Jack licked her lips, clearly relishing the memory. "Hey, you can always feel free to do that shit. I'm guessing you want your fun now too, though."

She wasn't wrong, because when Liara answered, "I think I would," desire dripped from each word.

The sound was enough to make Shepard throb anew inside of Jack, something the convict definitely noticed. "Seems like you're not the only one," she commented. "Go on, you two, I'm good for now."

She pulled up off of Shepard, and the commander groaned at the loss of her now-dripping pussy, but Jack compensated her with a long kiss before settling down by her side. Liara, meanwhile, had repositioned herself between Shepard's legs, running her fingers along the sticky length of the commander's half-hard cock.

"I can clean myself up before we get started," she offered, but Liara shook her head.

"There is no need. I'm happy to take care of any mess." She bent down, her dark tongue running over the slippery cockhead. "After all, there are so many new flavors to explore here." Her lips enveloped the tip, and Shepard threw back her head, her eyes fluttering closed at the intense pleasure. Liara became more tentative after that first move though, licking at the part in her mouth, but not doing more than that.

Jack grinned. "I'm guessing you haven't sucked cock before, Blue." Liara let out a murmur of assent that made Shepard groan, and the convict continued, "Just relax and see if you can take a little more in."

Liara bent her head down further, and Shepard's shaft twitched as the top of it was enveloped in her lover's wet mouth. The asari only managed another couple of inches before she gasped and pulled off. "It is… trickier than it looks."

Shepard ran a hand across her crest, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. You don't have to do this."

"Just focus on the tip," Jack suggested, "Shep likes that. You can always work on the other shit later."

Liara did as the convict advised, running her tongue across Shepard's slit before fitting the cockhead back in her mouth. The Shadow Broker began bobbing up and down, but this time, she didn't try to take Shepard too deep. "God, that feels nice," the commander purred.

"And doesn't she look fucking hot doing it?", Jack added, licking her lips. "You got good taste, babe. Leastwise, aside from me that is."

"Hey, you're pretty damn hot, too," Shepard assured her. Her hips were starting to buck against Liara's wonderful mouth, and she felt that her erection was back to full strength. "That's… that's good. I'm definitely ready for more."

Jack snuck a peek down between Liara's legs and licked her lips. One finger traced a line up the asari's leg and ran up and down her sex. "Pretty sure she is too. Blue clearly likes playing with her new toy."

Liara blushed at those words, while they made Shepard's cock twitch in her mouth. "Come here," the commander breathed out.

The asari pulled off of her dick and fell into her arms. Shepard's erection now rested against the outside of Liara's azure, and she could feel the same thing Jack had. The wetness covering it was abundant, and even sliding through it felt wonderful. Her cockhead caught along the ridge of Liara's clit, and the Shadow Broker's hands tightened around Shepard's thoroughly messy hair. "Go on," she implored. "I want to feel you inside me now."

Shepard nodded, shifting Liara's hips slightly and guiding her onto her waiting length. The Shadow Broker was as wet inside as out, easily able to take the cock into her tight azure. Their last time had been frantic, so now Shepard made sure to savor every instant of this penetration. Liara's eyes widened slightly as she slid in to the base, and once she was fully sheathed, their lips came together as well. It was a long kiss, and even while it went on, she began to thrust. The heat of Liara's mouth and pussy were incredible, and by the time the kiss broke, there were flecks of blackness in the Shadow Broker's eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart," Shepard purred, pushing slowly but forcefully in and out her lover. It was overwhelming to see the need written all over her face. With Jack, it had been the convict's death that she'd feared, but with Liara, it was her love Shepard thought she might've lost forever.

She rolled Liara over onto her back, making sure to stay buried deep inside of her azure as she did. The Shadow Broker's hands clutched at her back, while Jack had chosen this moment to re-involve herself as well. Turning on her side, her mouth planted nipping kisses on both of their thrusting bodies, while her hand was between her own legs, stroking her sex.

"Enjoying the show?", Shepard teased.

"Shit, you know I'm insatiable," she grunted. "And you two are fucking hot. Now go on and give Blue what she needs."

"And what is it you need?", she asked, stroking Liara's face, "To meld?"

"Goddess, yes," Liara gasped. "Please."

Shepard's thoughts relaxed and Liara's mind poured in hers. It was a very different joining than the one they had shared on Ilium. The hurt and confusion that had hit her that day were gone, replaced with a surer love, and a sort of peace. There were still uncertainties in the Shadow Broker's head, but they were far less than before. Shepard's own thoughts were calmer too, the terror and guilt that had overwhelmed her soothed by Jack's rescue and her two lovers' forgiveness. Now, they could focus on the desire and love that flowed between them, drinking in this moment that had taken them so long to reach.

_I love this. Feeling you in my body and my mind all at once._

_So do I, Liara. I don't know that I can thank you, thank both of you enough for this._

_You can try._

A fresh wave of desire hit Shepard along with those teasing words, and she did her best to satisfy it. Her lips latched on the soft skin of the asari's throat, while her hands moved between their bodies to stroke her full breasts. She drank in Liara's pleasure at her touches, even while she enjoyed their ghosts on her own skin. From somewhere outside the joining, she felt Jack's hand caress her ass as well, and all of the feelings were beginning to blend together. Every ripple of Liara's azure around her, every delightful stretch her cock produced, the slick press of their bodies together, all of it was shared and reflected back and forth between them.

They moved faster now, pushing each other towards their shared climax. Liara's hands pressed her deeper, trying to take every part of Shepard that she could. Her own fingers gripped Liara's crest, kneading its ridges as she poured everything she had into this moment. A gasp escaped the asari's lips and Shepard covered them with hers, drinking in her pleasure. This was a dream, and she wouldn't let any part of it escape them.

Her cock thrust upwards, and when Liara clamped down, Shepard pulsed hard. Their orgasms broke free all at once, her release pumping out into Liara, and the asari's spilling out onto her, soaking their sheets and their bodies. It was a tide of ecstasy that they rode out together, each spasm and pulse triggering the other to keep going a little longer.

Dimly through her bliss, she saw Jack peak as well, crying out as her thighs clenched around her hand. The convict slumped down next to the two of them even while their climaxes finally gave out, leaving all three women sprawled in a sweaty heap. Shepard wrapped an arm around Jack, pulling her closer into a shared embrace. They panted as their pleasure slowly receded, languid touches and soft kisses easing them down until something resembling normal thought could return.

Liara spoke first, accompanying her words with a kiss to Shepard's forehead and a stroke along Jack's back. "So, it would seem that our experiment has passed its first test."

"No shit, Blue," Jack agreed, nipping at the base of the Shadow Broker's neck. "That was fucking excellent. First threesome I was ever in where at least one person wasn't being a selfish asshole." She laughed. "Not saying I was never the asshole, but still, good change."

Liara bent down to kiss the top of the convict's head. "Not to fear, Jack. You were wonderful."

Shepard looked back and forth between her two lovers, shaking her head at her good fortune. The affection between them was a blessing she would never have imagined, and yet, it felt unforced and real. She knew there would be more challenges to come; starting with managing their new, complex relationship and the baby Jack was pregnant with, to say nothing of the impending Reaper invasion, but in that moment, how could she not feel lucky? "You were too, Liara. Both of you were incredible. More than I deserved."

Almost simultaneously, both of her the other women shook their heads at her self-deprecation. "You very much do deserve this, Shepard," Liara declared, while Jack added, "Yeah, you big girl scout. Ease up on yourself."

"You know," she chuckled, doing her best to let their affection dissolve her insecurities, "I think after everything we've been through, at least one you would call me Jean."

* * *

><p><em>The Next Morning<em>

Shepard stood at the head of the war room table, starring out at the assembled command staff. In some ways, it felt as if she'd come full circle, back to where she'd been more than two years ago. Garrus and Tali, Ashley, and of course, Liara; most of her old crew had been reassembled for this new struggle.

In other ways though, so much was different. This _Normandy_ had been built by Cerberus, she was a fugitive from the Alliance instead of a Council Spectre, and of course, the presence of Jack was a dramatic reminder her of all that had happened since her death. So too was the now-sated cock that hung between her legs, still pleasantly sore after the extensive workout her lovers had given it. _It's still possible this is going to be the death of me._ _But what a way to go._

Those thought were for another time, though. Now, there were more pressing matters to get to work on, and once everyone was seated, she began.

"So, I know this isn't exactly where any of us thought we'd be, but it's too late to worry about that now," she told them. "All we can do is figure out how to move forward. After my little broadcast, if I turn myself in to the Alliance, they'll just throw me in a deep, dark hole until the Reapers turn up, so until that day comes and the rest of the galaxy knows what we do, we're on our own."

Her crew was nodding along with her. After everything they'd been through, relying on each other felt right. It wouldn't be enough, of course. But there was no group she'd rather begin this struggle with.

"When the Reapers do get here, we'll need everything we can muster. Every weapon, every ally, every edge. Anything we can think of, we're going to try it. Does anybody have any suggestions for where we can start?"

"I have been going through the old Shadow Broker's files," Liara began, "And he has extensive intelligence on the Prothean archives on Mars. There are hints of previously undiscovered weapons there that we might be able to recover. In addition, I can use the Broker network to encourage increases in military spending. The governments of the galaxy may not believe that the Reapers are on their way, but any troops or ships they prepare will still be useful when they learn otherwise."

"I've got a few contacts with the turian military," Garrus added. "They may be able to augment Liara's efforts. We always do love a good arms program."

"I say we reach out to the krogan," Ashley offered. "I hear Wrex is running a big chunk of them now. He trusts you and he's got no allegiance to the Council."

"Nor does the Migrant Fleet," Tali chimed in. "Thanks to you, my father's name still carries some weight with the Admirals. I don't know what I can convince them of, but it's a place to start."

"Fuck it," Jack laughed, "I don't have any of that shit to offer. But if you need some asses kicked, you know I'm game."

"I definitely will," Shepard told her. "And all of the rests sounds good too. Get to work, and meanwhile, I'm going to see if I can't convince a few of the crew members Cerberus made me kick off the ship to come back. Maybe bring a few of their friends along for the ride while they're at it."

Samara and her Justicars would be a big help, as would Mordin's STG contacts. The biggest prize, though, would be Legion and the Geth. She didn't know if she could get them to sign up, or if any of it would be enough, but as Jean Shepard watched her crew spring into action, she still felt hope fill her breast. With friends and allies like these, along with the love of two remarkable women, she felt like they had a fighting chance to solve some very big problems together.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end of Little Problems. Outside of 4<strong>**th**** Life, it's currently both the longest single story I've written, as well as the one that took me the most time to finish. I got stuck a few times, but I'm glad I persevered, and I hope you are too. There will be a sequel at some point in the future, taking our heroines through ME3, though I don't know when. **

**In the meantime, feel free to check out my other stuff. In particular, I just wrote a little Shep/Liara one-shot called Breaking Point you might enjoy, and if you want more stories with complex relationships, I'm working on an open relationship FWarden/Leliana yarn called Together But Far Away.**

**Finally, yes, Experiments Shepard is named Jean. I've had that name in mind for a while, but haven't revealed it until now. It comes from a playthrough I did once, (Though she didn't end up with a dick, of course) and I like it because it's like Jane, just… slightly rearranged, much like our favorite redheaded commander. I hope you enjoyed the story and that you'll leave me with any parting thoughts you have.**


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